PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTARCTIC VOLUNTEERS.

The article presents an analysis of personal and social characteristics of men who volunteered for a special type of hazardous duty, wintering-over at scientific stations in Antarctica. Since 1957, the United States has maintained several year-round stations on the Antarctic continent to implement the Antarctic Research Program supported by the National Science Foundation and the U. S. Navy. Civilian scientists and technicians are directly engaged in research projects while Navy personnel provide necessary logistic support. Groups of Navy and scientific personnel live and work together in close association and interdependence at these stations for approximately a year. Men are selected for Antarctic assignments primarily on the basis of competence in an occupational specialty. Since the station must be a completely self-sustaining community, a wide variety of scientific, technical, and military occupations, such as glaciologist, ionospheric physicist, meteorologist, electronics technician, physician, mechanic, and cook, are represented.