WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- After more than 30 years of service, the iconic dome at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been deconstructed for possible display in a U.S. Navy museum.
The National Science Foundation said the dome provided a platform for countless scientific discoveries in astronomy, physics, climatology and other fields, as well as a home for the crew at the station -- the southernmost continually inhabited place on the planet.
The dome was removed because it could no longer serve the demands of research activities, with the structure sinking deeper into the ice each year, officials said.
Designed and constructed by Navy Seabees during the early 1970s, the dome's geodesic design was strong enough to withstand the weight of snow and its round shape helped deflect the strong winds that blow nearly constantly at the site. Because the dome needed no internal columns, it provided a wide and flexible interior, protecting buildings housing researchers and support staff, as well as laboratories, supplies and other necessities.
The National Science Foundation said it replaced the dome with a state-of-the-art research facility that will serve science for the coming decades.
The dome is being returned to southern California where it will be held in storage, with its top sections specially preserved so they can be re-assembled for a possible exhibit in a new U.S. Navy Seabees museum.
