2 Crew Members Successfully Rescued at South Pole Station

— -- Two crew members stationed at a U.S. science facility at the South Pole are safely on board a plane after a daring rescue effort, the National Science Foundation said today.

The medical evacuation mission was especially dangerous because of the harsh weather conditions in Antarctica at this time of year.

A Twin Otter aircraft has landed at Rothera Research Station, a base on the coast of Antarctica run by the British Antarctic Survey, after rescuing the crew at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station earlier today.

The 1,500-mile, nine-hour journey between the two stations is especially treacherous because of the weather.

The aircraft's crew included a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and medical worker. Officials say the crew rested for about 10 hours at the Amundsen-Scott station, refueled the plane and waited for the right weather conditions before flying back to Rothera.

After landing at Rothera, the crew was tasked with quickly picking up an ailing crew member — and possibly a second person in need of care — out of Antarctica.

"We don't have the capabilities at our facilities to handle this particular emergency," said Kelly Falkner of the NSF.

Amundsen-Scott is one of three year-round stations that the NSF operates in Antarctica in its role as the manager of the U.S. research program there. The station is in one the most remote areas of the planet, and normally planes don't travel to the outpost from February to October because of the dangers of flying in the pitch black and extreme cold.

It is currently midwinter in Antarctica. The sun will not rise again until August, and the bitter cold can freeze jet fuel.

This is only the third rescue mission attempted in the past 60 years. In 1999 a doctor at the station diagnosed herself with breast cancer and was unable to get out, so she treated herself with chemotherapy.