To achieve the USAP science goals, NSF operates three U.S. scientific stations and two research vessels year-round on the continent.

Map of USAP Research Stations
Map of USAP Transportation Routes

• McMurdo Station
  Located on the Ross Sea, Antarctica's largest station serves as a "gateway" to Antarctica for U.S. scientific field teams as well as the hub for most of the U.S. scientific activity.

  McMurdo Station Map
  McMurdo Crary Lab Floor Plans

• Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
  Located 841 statute miles inland from McMurdo, at the geographic South Pole, this station accommodates a maximum of 250 people during the austral summer.

  South Pole Station Map

• Palmer Station
  Located on Anvers Island in the Antarctic Peninsula region, and logistically isolated from the other stations, Palmer Station relies mainly on the RSV Laurence M. Gould for transport of passengers and resupply from a port at the southern tip of South America.

  Palmer Station Map

• RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP)
  The Palmer, completed in 1992, is 308 feet long and is ice-classed ABS-A2, capable of breaking three feet of level ice at three knots.

  NBP Drawings and Specifications

• ARSV Laurence M. Gould (LMG)
  The Gould, completed in 1998, is 230 feet long and is ice-classed ABS-A1, capable of breaking one foot of level ice with continuous forward motion.

  LMG Drawings and Specifications