2024-2025 USAP Participant Guide

Updated September 30, 2024

USAP Participant Guide 2024-2025

The Participant Guide is the initial source of information for U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) participants and covers the program's three permanent research stations, Antarctic field camps, and the research vessel. The information within assists participants with preparation and knowledge for living and working in Antarctica. You may download the complete version of the Participant Guide below, or link directly to individual sections and chapters using the following links.

USAP Participant Guide (19.1MB)

Title Page
Map of Antarctica
U.S. National Science Foundation Letter
Some Antarctic Basics
Table of Contents

U.S. Navy pilot LCDR Gus Shinn starts up
the Que Sera Sera before taking off for the South Pole
from the Naval Air Facility McMurdo on 31 October 1956.

• Background

  • Antarctic Exploration
  • United States Antarctic Program (USAP)
  • The Antarctic Treaty and U.S. Antarctic Policy

• USAP Structure

  • U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Support Contractors
  • Department of Defense
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of the Interior
  • Department of State
  • International Cooperation

• Science Proposals and Grants

• Antarctic Data Repositories

• USAP Stations and Ships

  • NSF McMurdo Station
  • NSF Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
  • NSF Palmer Station
  • Research Vessels

• Facility Administration

Adélie penguins at Cape Royds, Ross Island.

• Program Requirements

  • Background Investigation
  • Medical and Dental Examinations
  • Waivers
  • Immunizations

• Privacy Act Compliance

• Deployment Documentation

• Travel Arrangements

  • Travel Expenses
  • Meals and Lodging in Antarctica

• Passports, Visas, and Permits

  • Passports
  • Visas and Permits
  • Visas for Non-U.S. Citizens

• Customs

• Customs and Your Equipment

• Personal Matters

  • Power of Attorney
  • Notary Services
  • Absentee Ballot
  • Personal Finances
  • Income Tax
  • Insurance

USAP participants carry their bags to the
elevated station after arriving at the South Pole.

• Baggage Allowances

  • Commercial Carriers
  • Flights from Christchurch to NSF McMurdo Station
  • Research Vessel and NSF Palmer Station
  • Grantee and Technical Event Excess Baggage
  • Mailing Excess Baggage

• Personal Prescription Medications

• What to Pack

• Station Store

• What Not to Pack

• Baggage Organization

• Storage Availability

  • In New Zealand
  • In Chile

Blood Falls is a unique feature where iron-rich brine
from the substrate is released at the terminus
of the Taylor Glacier. Any work within the protected area
of Blood Falls requires an ACA permit.

• Environmental Impact Assessment

• Antarctic Conservation Act

  • Highlights of the ACA
  • ACA Waste Management

• Environmental Guidelines

• Permits and Reporting

• Import-Export Regulations

  • Controlled Drugs, New Organisms, Genetically Modified Organisms
  • Importing Samples into New Zealand
  • Shipping Samples Through New Zealand
  • Radioactive Materials

• Science Cargo

  • Transport Methods for Science Support Cargo
  • Retrograde (Return) Science Cargo

A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft lands near McMurdo Station.

• Travel Advice

  • Customs and Mail Warning
  • Stay in Contact
  • Be Patient
  • Currency Exchange
  • Electrical Compatibility
  • Pre-Deployment Personal Vacations
  • Post-Deployment Personal Vacations

• Traveling Through New Zealand

  • ECW Clothing Issue

• Traveling to NSF McMurdo Station

• Traveling Within Antarctica

  • Air Transport
  • Aircraft Travel Rules and Guidelines

• Returning to New Zealand

• Traveling Through Chile

  • ECW Clothing Issue
  • Baggage

• Traveling to NSF Palmer Station

• Returning to Chile

McMurdo Station is the largest station in Antarctica
and the southernmost point to which a ship can sail.
This photo faces south, with sea ice in front of the station,
Observation Hill to the left (with White Island behind it),
Minna Bluff and Black Island in the distance to the right,
and the McMurdo Ice Shelf in between.

• Work Requirement

• Overall Safety in the Workplace

  • Fire Safety
  • Diving Safety

• Safety

• Health

• Personal Conduct

  • Alcohol and Drugs
  • U.S. Criminal Jurisdiction

• Waste, Energy, and Water

• Information Technology and Communications (IT&C) Services

  • Acceptable Use and Rules of Behavior
  • Acceptable and Prohibited Uses of USAP Information Resources
  • Computer Screening
  • USAP Email Service
  • Telephone Services
  • USAP Station Intranets
  • Station Bandwidth Constraints
  • Video Chat Applications
  • Use of USAP Public Network
  • Radio Communications
  • Television and Radio Services
  • Smart Card Required
  • Removeable Media Restrictions
  • Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Migration

• Endorsement of Products or Services

• Postal Services

• Station-Specific Information

  • NSF McMurdo Station
  • NSF Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
  • NSF Palmer Station

• Sexual Assault and Harassment Prevention and Response (SAHPR) Program

• Glossary

• Contact Information