A United States Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft at the Phoenix compacted snow runway at  McMurdo Station.
<p>This flight was third of WINFLY, a period in late August and early September when supplies and personnel arrive in Antarctica to prepare for the impending research season, which gets fully underway in October.
Temperatures at this time of year require that heaters be placed on the landing gear as passengers and cargo are loaded and unloaded.
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Operation Deep Freeze is the name for the combined U.S. military logistical support to the civilian (National Science Foundation) managed U.S. Antarctic Program.
United States Antarctic Program
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