Imagine living in a building that overlooks a land made
entirely of snow and ice!
Welcome to Halley VI (six), a research
station built in Antarctica. It sits on an
area of ice called the Brunt Ice Shelf.
It’s been there for three years.
British Antarctic Survey scientists at
Halley are studying weather and climate.
It’s really exciting because space weather
and its effects on earth are studied,
such as the mysterious lights after dark
there called the Aurora Australis.
Halley is made up of eight sections
or modules. The seven blue ones are
where people work and live; the red
one which is two storeys high is a
relaxation zone. In it you’ll find a dining
room and even a gym.
Photo: Forgemind ArchiMedia
6
SPARK
It’s a massive challenge to construct
any building that will cope with the
weather there. Storms could bury
Halley in snow, and the slowly moving
ice that it stands on could eventually tip
it into the sea! Beneath each module,
there’s a hydraulic leg and ski system.
Hydraulic means a device which pushes
liquids along pipes, creating a strong
force which can be used to move
something. This allows the station to
be raised back up when it starts to get
buried in snow. Skis act as feet, so the
research station can be towed along to
a new location by tractors. How many
houses do you know that can move?