To achieve the USAP science goals, NSF operates three U.S. scientific stations and the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer year-round on the continent.

Map of USAP Research Stations
Map of USAP Transportation Routes

• McMurdo Station
  Located on the Ross Sea, Antarctica's largest station serves as a "gateway" to Antarctica for U.S. scientific field teams as well as the hub for most of the U.S. scientific activity.

  McMurdo Station Map
  McMurdo Crary Lab Floor Plans

• Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
  Located 841 statute miles inland from McMurdo, at the geographic South Pole, this station accommodates a maximum of 250 people during the austral summer.

  South Pole Station Map

• Palmer Station
  Located on Anvers Island in the Antarctic Peninsula region, Palmer is logistically isolated from the other stations.

  Palmer Station Map

RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP)
The Palmer, completed in 1992, is 308 feet long and is ice-classed ABS-A2, capable of breaking three feet of level ice at three knots.

NBP Drawings and Specifications