Moving the WASP

Michal Krzysztofowicz
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 19:27:21 +0000

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As part of the preparation for the relocation of the station, the WASP (Workshop and Storage Platform) has been moved today to its new place, just south of the Modules. WASP, as all other buildings at Halley, has been built on skis, a feature which is very useful for annual buildings raise. This year, not only has it been raised (to account for the snow accumulation), it has also been relocated 250m away from its last position.

To move the WASP, first the two halves of the building need to be separated, and the snow which has collected underneath needs to be dug out. Next, a couple of bulldozers are attached to the front ski (with another two pushing with their blades the back of the rear skids). All vehicles then pull and push in unison to break the tension, and as soon as the building moves, the two pulling machines keep a steady pace. Finally, upon arrival to their destination, they line up using a series of flags - each of those is being removed when the lead vehicle comes near, and the person removing the flag moves to the next flag in line - all of this without stopping the vehicles.