4 August, 2011

Staff at British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station recently raised the Union flag to mark the first sighting of the sun again after several weeks of continual darkness. The sun brings excitement onto station and begins the countdown to Summer when it will be light for 24 hours a day.

Fraser Prescott, the youngest staff member on station at just 21, was given the honour of raising the flag and gave a short speech in a breezy and chilly −18°C.

It is still technically winter in Antarctica and the wintering team of 20 staff won’t see their first visitors until October when the BAS aircraft arrive.

Meanwhile, back at the Cambridge headquarters staff are frantically preparing their equipment and supplies for the RRS James Clark Ross and RRS Ernest Shackleton who head for Antarctica in September and early November.