While the entire attention of the world is focussed on Iraq, another military op is underway in Antarctica. The official version of events is predictably similar to those used in previous years. Someone became ill in Antarctica and an evacuation is underway. Ho hum. It’s a cover story so bland that few will read on and even fewer will remember it next week.

Let’s take a closer look. Firstly consider the terrain. The evacuation is from Mc Murdo Base in Antarctica. Here in the Southern Hemisphere, we are heading into winter. McMurdo currently see less than 8 hours of sunlight per day, and soon will be in total darkness for the winter. Ordinarily, all flights in and out are restricted to the daylight season, October to February. Any flights in go via the nearest accessible base, 4,000 kilometres away at New Zealand. In fact, the New Zealand Air Force maintains a Hercules C131 ready for such emergencies.

In past years, when United States personnel have required evacuation, the public are inundated with “feel good” news about the rescue. The patient’s full medical details, everything we didn’t need to know, are spoon fed with regular updates. Didn’t they even make a TV documentary about the woman who detected her own breast tumor while serving in Antarctica? Then her ex-husband told his story about their marriage break-up. Then the kids got involved. Too much information by far. But that’s what we’ve come to expect. Until now.

This time the news briefs are brief. Minimal, in fact. Australia’s ABC news network (www.abc.net.au) reported on 9 April 2004 that a USAF C141 Starlifter was being dispatched to Mc Murdo to evacuate a person or persons. That’s it. They couldn’t even confirm the number of evacuees. Further limited information on the Antarctic website www.70south.com, confirmed that information was being withheld pursuant to “medical confidentiality” requirements. However they did note that a new ice runway was being hurriedly constructed for the flight.

A Starlifter is a very large cargo carrier, usually used for the transportation of massive payloads. Put simply, it makes a Boeing 747 look puny. Depending on layout, the Starlifter can carry 12 Greyhound buses in two tiers of 6 buses each. That’s 2 buses side by side, 3 deep on each of two levels. Got the picture?

Sending a Starlifter all the way from the United States to collect one, or maybe two sick personnel, just doesn’t make sense. Especially when the NZAF has a much smaller, lighter craft ready on standby. The NZAF could have been down to McMurdo and back before the Starlifter crossed the equator. And the extra runway would not have been required.

Either the patient wasn’t that ill that they could wait an extra 2 days in fading light for the Starlifter to arrive, or there were too many patients for the Hercules. That would indeed prove interesting, because the Hercules, though smaller than the Starlifter, could still easily manage 12 stretchers, or 30 seated patients. Is something terribly wrong down there? Could it have any connection with the 1000 astronomers who are spending the Winter observing the southern skies?

Look at the other, more likely option. What was the Starlifter taking to Mc Murdo? More astronomers, perhaps? Is it possible that the evac was actually in reverse? TO, not from Antarctica? Do the ruling elite see the proverbial ‘writing on the wall’? Or in the sky?

The answer lies with the astronomers.