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[i]I was at Destination Alpha, the station's main entrance, as the tour party started to file in. Most were gasping in the thin, -30 degree air, and some had notable difficulty climbing the two stories to the station's elevated entrance. New arrivals to the South Pole are generally expected to experience mild to intermediate altitude sickness on arrival, and the harshness of the environment is why the USAP requires all participants to undergo exhaustive physical and mental examinations before being cleared for deployment. Tourists are subject to none of these restrictions – and with many visitors being decades older than the average South Pole resident, they can find themselves hit extraordinarily hard by altitude-induced medical conditions. Buzz entered the station towards the group's rear, with his son and manager in tow. After shedding their heavy cold weather gear, Buzz took a seat while other members of the tour group milled around taking photos of our display case of old Pole markers. A small group of science and support staff had gathered to welcome him, and Buzz spent a few minutes talking with us about his views on Elon Musk (he's got enough money to do whatever he wants), NASA (hasn't got enough money to do whatever they want), and Mars (an essential destination, but Buzz believes making a pitstop base at the Moon first is critical for the logistics or resupplying the Red Planet. Kind of like a McMurdo to our South Pole Station). A great idea, but lest we forget, he's Buzz Aldrin, so he's naturally biased...[/i]
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