Goverment shutdown imperils US Antarctic research

Nature : Lockheed Martin, which is contracted to run three research stations in Antarctica for the US government, will have to suspend those operations in mid October unless it receives new federal funds. If the US government shutdown continues and the money does not arrive, the contractor will evacuate all but skeleton maintenance crews from the McMurdo, Amundsen–Scott, and Palmer stations. The timing of the crisis is unfortunate. Most Antarctic research takes place between October and March, when daylight is abundant. Among the projects in jeopardy is Operation IceBridge, a NASA campaign to map the health of ice sheets using a specially instrumented aircraft.