Sky Blu (Antarctica)

Sky Blu
Logistics and air facility
Sky Blu Melon hut and ancillary facilities, taken on approach to the runway. The hut and facilities are located about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the runway, pictured top left.
Sky Blu Melon hut and ancillary facilities, taken on approach to the runway. The hut and facilities are located about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the runway, pictured top left.
Location of Sky Blu in Antarctica
Location of Sky Blu in Antarctica
Sky Blu
Location of Sky Blu in Antarctica
Coordinates: 74°51′23″S 71°35′13″W / 74.856344°S 71.586822°W / -74.856344; -71.586822
CountryUnited Kingdom
Location in AntarcticaPalmer Land
Antarctica
Administered byBritish Antarctic Survey
Establishedc. 1997 (1997)
Elevation
4,708 ft (1,435 m)
Population
 • Total
  • Up to 6
Time zoneUTC-3 (FKST)
TypeSeasonal
PeriodSummer
StatusOperational
Facilities
  • Two fibreglass modules
Websitewww.antarctica.ac.uk

Sky Blu is a forward operating station for the British Antarctic Survey located in southern Palmer Land, Antarctica. It is in an area of blue ice, an extremely hard and dense ice which has lost the air bubbles that normally cloud the ice. It provides a runway able to accommodate wheeled aircraft that are larger than can be handled by other types of runways in the area.

The facility is used to store fuel drums and field equipment for onward transport by the Twin Otter aircraft. The camp is staffed by a minimum of 2, but usually 3 people, including a mechanic. Staff eat and sleep in a Melon hut, but there is also a garage and other tents.