The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) is looking for three volunteers to spend three months at South Africa’s Antarctic base, SANAE IV. “Any individual interested in an experience of a life-time, with some scientific/engineering background may apply for this opportunity,” says the advert promoting the opportunity.
The volunteers will be assisting Sansa’s engineering team with maintenance and upgrades to the agency’s instrumentation network at the SANAE IV base. The trip will take place from the beginning of December 2019 until the end of February 2020.
South Africa has had a physical presence in Antarctica since 1960. The SANAE IV base is located in the Queen Maud Land region, and hosts a number of experiments that are conducted at different times of the year. The physical science programme runs all year round, while the Earth, life, and oceanographic sciences projects run during the summer months when temperatures and weather allow.
The volunteers will be part of Sansa’s space science unit, which forms part of the worldwide network of magnetic observatories, monitors and models variations of the Earth’s magnetic field, and carries out physics research. The work will be conducted under harsh conditions, with hard physical labour involved, so candidates must be physically fit and mentally strong. Shortlisted applicants will have undergo a full medical screening, including a dental examination, at Sansa’s cost.
“We were looking at ways and opportunities to get other people involved in the programme. The volunteers come down and are part of the team that assists engineers that have expertise to maintain the systems. So they are essentially there to learn and lend a helping hand,” Jonathan Ward, Engineering and Data Acquisition Manager at Sansa, said in a radio interview.
“It certainly requires a strong mind and a bit of an adventurous spirit. One has to deal with the cold, with the isolation but we make sure everyone is prepared for the trip. We work really hard but we also try and make it an experience for everyone and make it as fun as possible as well.”
In addition to the medical screening, Sandsa will be conducting background verification, including criminal record, credit checks, security clearances, qualification and citizenship checks, as well as competency assessment and psychometric testing. Sansa will not be paying the volunteers for their work, but all their expenses will be paid for the whole three month period, starting from their arrival in Cape Town.
Interested applicants need to email their CV and a cover letter summarising their reasons for applying to aengelbrecht@sansa.org.za and cc in ameyer@sansa.org.za. The closing date for applications is 25 September.