I’d never really read this before, but it’s an interesting description of the rules there. No home cooking allowed, and alcohol is rationed, which makes sense, I guess. I wonder if some people make their own hooch, though?
6 thoughts on “McMurdo”
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As I read it bulk purchase alcohol is rationed, but:
CLUBS: The Navy operates three clubs at McMurdo Station. The Erebus Club offers liquor, beer, and soft drinks–and several times a week, a limited food menu. The Erebus is designated no smoking two or three nights a week. The Southern Exposure is a smoke-free club where alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are served. The Coffee House offers a smoke-free setting and serves specialty non-alcoholic beverages.
You can probably buy quite a bit by the glass.
Yes, but that’s typically a very expensive way to drink, if it’s like it is in other places.
NASA and NSF are still living in the past, if they think C141s are flying supplies down.
The alcohol allotments seem pretty generous to me. Certainly sufficient averaged over a long period of time. What amazes me is the extent of the other amenities. They really have studied this, and the results should be invaluable to future Mars efforts.
A while back, when ISS was just getting operations I was involved in some Mars habitat work at JSC. The two analogues that were studied quite a bit were the Antarctic bases and nuclear subs. We had one staffer that had spent a few years on subs as enlisted who was quizzed by the design folks, and my boss was asked to answer some questions as he was the logistics officer on one. There were some lessons learned documents from Skylab and the Mir missions that were available. One key datum: letting the crew set their own schedule up was key. Give them a list of tasks to do, the deadlines, and criticality. Then let them do the schedule and work it off.
Give them a list of tasks to do, the deadlines, and criticality.
Sounds like heaven. I worked for an engineer one upon a time that before me couldn’t keep an assistant for more than two weeks with several quitting on the first day. I managed six months before I transferred to his boss. After repeatedly requesting a task list from him I got one with a dozen or so items on it. I finished all but one in the same day. That last item was a nonspecific description of his job.
He was a nice guy, but a clueless manager.