Photo album: "Activities on the base"

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The nearer we are from "Mid-Winter" (June 21st, winter solstice for the south hemisphere where night is the longest of the year), the shorter daylight duration becomes. We take, then, the opportunity to visit a few buildings of the base and meet some members of the expedition. We are 27 on the base including: the expedition leader (or chief of district, on the administrative terminology); the physician (who can become a surgeon or a dentist, if necessary), the cook (who is also a baker and a pastry chef), the "technical staff" (who keep the base operational) and the "scientific staff" (who operate the scientific equipments, but who are mainly engineers or technicians and rarely, save for the biologist, scientists).

We enter "Labo 2" through a twin-door system which prevents direct contact between outside and inside, and insures thus protection against cold and snow. Every building ingress follows this rule.

In the corridor, doors are opening to Biology lab (Biolo); our physician Jacques Degabriel's office; Ionophere lab (Iono) and Aurora lab (Cinoc) [responsible Bernard Pelluard, assisted by precision mechanic Alain Jeanjacquot].

François Lacan, responsible Biolo, is certainly outside observing his penguins. The main job of the biologist during winter is the study of emperor penguins. There is still so many things to discover about them, among other things, how couples and chicks can recognise each other in the middle of thousands of individuals.

The Iono team is composed of Jacques Lavergnat, responsible, Bernard Counit and me. Jacques is working behind his desk.

The devices to monitor the ionospheric soundings and to record data sent by different instruments, measuring other parameters of the ionosphere, situated in different locations on Pétrels island.

We are now in "Labo 1" where are situated labs for radioactivity (Racea), cosmic rays (Rayco), seismology (Sismo), terrestrial magnetism (Magne) and the meteorological service (Meteo).  Jean-Pierre Jacquin, responsible Racea, is adjusting one of his sensors.

In the Rayco lab, domain of Alain Lamalle, the equipment to detect and count cosmic rays.

The Sismo lab, realm of Jean-Claude Lancelot. The sensors are situated in a "cellar" in a central place of the island, as far as possible from human activity zones.

In Meteo lab, Guy Fisher, radar specialist, in front of his electronic instrumentation.

Jacques Chesneau, chief meteo (on right side), and Jean Heuzey, his assistant, use data sent by balloon-borne radiosondes and information delivered by the radar to retrieve the parameters of the atmosphere and prepare the observation message they will send to France.

The Magne team is composed of André Santu, responsible, and Jean Rousseau. André (on the right side) protects himself, jokingly for the photo, while speaking with Christian Cheveau, diesel specialist at the power station.

We are now in the heart of winter. The day duration becomes shorter and shorter

Sunsets seem never ending (as the light is very feeble, we can notice, on the photo, that the stars have moved during the exposure duration).

The sky takes beautiful colours.

Last days before winter solstice. Sunrise and sunset are now merging.

At noon, the sun no longer takes off the horizon.

We finally arrive at Mid-Winter Day and we have a great fest in the building "Vie commune", with theatre performances, music, songs, games, etc. Our cook, Pierre Chalon, has prepared a superb dinner to celebrate this particular day.

After dinner, we gather in the sitting room and our two elders, Jacques Chesneau (Meteo) and Emile Guyon (radio technician) seize the opportunity to enjoy a lollipop.

A few days later, for Saint John Day, we dress up. You can see me in Gaul. We had to improvise with the available means, in my case, only the walrus moustache is real, I cut off most part of my beard for the occasion.

Le petit Adélien Enchaîné. If you understand the French language, click on the adjacent image to open the page dedicated to the little humorous journal published during the winter over. You'll find a few personal documents appeared in this journal, followed with the integral photocopy of the original edition.

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