Techu Antarctic Research Station Slang

Admin Management offices for the complex are located in this section, which also features the following:
• Movement Control Center (MCC): Entry into the facility for passengers and cargo
• Post Office
• FOCC (Field Operations Communications Center), commonly called Comms
• NOC (Network Operations Center)
• USES (Telephone and Internet via Unmanned Satellite Earth Ground Station), also called the Tower
• TBR (Techu Broadcasting Radio)
• TBTV (Techu Broadcasting Television)
• IT (Information Technology and Support)
  All Call The station public address system.   AOD Airport of Departure, the place where you arrived on The Ice and to which you will return when you leave.   All-Hands Meetings Required for all station personnel to address such issues as arrival of new management, rumor control and any other news that affects the entire station.   Bag drag Passengers and their cargo must be weighed prior to boarding an aircraft. This is the term for arriving for weigh-in at MCC.   Bar None Bar facility in the Happy Place, only open in summer, as alcohol is a depressant and depression rates increase in the winter.   Beaker Military slang for scientists.   Boomerang Turning back in mid-flight to the Airport of Origin, usually due to bad weather or mechanical issues.   Bunny boots Shapeless white boots lined with wool felt. (Legend has it that the lining is rabbit fur.)   C-141 Starlifter A medium sized cargo plane often used for transport to and from Antarctica.   Carnegie Hall Assembly hall for the facility.   ChCh Abbreviation for Christchurch, New Zealand, pronounced “Cheech”. Christchurch is often used as a way station between Antarctica and the rest of the world.   CNX Military abbreviation for “cancelled”, often pertaining to flights or over-the-ice missions.   Commons A common area on the second floor for informal gatherings. Includes an outdoor ice skating rink for recreation.   Comms Communication center for the station, located in the MCC building.   Congress Suites Romantically decorated suites where couples can go to enjoy intimacy without interruption. These must be reserved in advance and absences from the schedule cleared by their supervisors. All are located below the ice in sublevels beneath the Techu facility.   Cradle of Humanity Legendary origin point of humanity on Earth, shown on an ancient map of gold.   Crevasse Cracks and fissures in the ice. Many of these are covered with snow and impossible to see from the surface. Falling into one often results in serious injury and/or death. Roping into one is often an enjoyable pastime. The Nike Crevasse is the only permanent fissure in the Antarctic ice, and does not shift or move with glacial flow.   Crud “The Crud” is slang for the respiratory infections common to most new arrivals to The Ice, usually prompted by new arrivals bringing in fresh bacteria and viruses.   DNF Do Not Freeze – a label usually applied to fresh foods in order to prevent the cargo being left for long periods outside.   ECW Extremely Cold Weather, a label applied to the gear like parkas and bunny boots.   Eden The facility greenhouse for providing home-grown “freshies” during winter months, as well as biological experimentation and studies year-round.   FNG “Finjy” is a derogatory term (effing new guy/gal) applied to new arrivals.   Freshies Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs; any food items that don’t keep long-term and are sorely missed when the Stores are out. These arrive in summer via air drop and are a rare commodity in winter. (Some freshies are grown in the facility greenhouse.)   GA General Assistant. These are the “worker bees” of the station, handling all general labor tasks.   Galley The Galley is centrally located on the main floor and also features the following:
• Wally World (Employee Marketplace)
• Housekeeping
• Savile Row (Clothing Stores)
• The Kitchens (Food Services)
• Food Storage
• Ice House (Mess Hall 1)
  Engineering Central operations sector for the drilling assembly and elevator shaft descending to the Cradle of Man.   Happy Place Location in the main facility for all the Morale, Wellness and Recreation rooms, including:
• Motown (Music Room)
• Hollywood (TV and Movie Theater)
• Globe Theater (Playhouse)
• The Louvre (Art Studio)
• The Library (Recreational Reading)
• Sauna and Gymnasium
  Heavy Shop Vehicle Maintenance is where all the heavy machinery is housed and repaired inside a large hangar. This is also typically where large dance parties are held, given the amount of available floor space.   Ice, The Antarctica’s nickname, most often used by veterans who have lived and worked on “The Ice.”   Ice House Mess Hall 1 located in the Galley area of the ground floor.   iNet Cafe Coffee house and snack bar located in the Happy Place, where residents may have free use of computers and internet connections.   Infirmary The station hospital, also called the Red Cross.   I.T. Storage for replacement computer items and where the Technical Support team is headquartered.   Jarhead Slang term for a Marine.   Java the Hut Coffee house and snack bar located in the Science Building.   Kona Coffee Coffee kiosk on the upper floor in the Commons.   LC-130 Ski-equipped Starlifter airplanes.   Luminaries A collective of artificially enhanced geniuses who head up the projects at Techu Station.   Mahtoht An international think-tank organization secretly responsible for many of the world’s foremost inventions and technological advancements. The name is a derivative of the Egyptian god, Thoth.   Mainbody One of three seasons on Antarctica, beginning approximately the first of October through late February-early March. This varies according to station location and distance from McMurdo Base.   MCC Movement Control Center. All items and personnel coming in or going out of the Station must funnel through this sector.   McMurdo A settlement located at the tip of Hut Point Peninsula off McMurdo Sound. This is one of three American stations open year-round in Antarctica.   Medevac Medical evacuation.   Medical Also called the Infirmary by military staff. Functions as a working ER, has an operating room and full medical staff for treating everything from the sniffles and frostbite to cardiac surgery. The Techu Station boasts some of the finest doctors and nurses in the world.   Midrats Midnight Rations served certain times during the Antarctic year.   Motel 6 Senior Staff, Officers Quarters and Guest berthing on the upper floor.   Nike Crevasse A mile-deep fissure in the Antarctic ice that stays in the same position, while other features move and shift with glacial flow (approximately 30 feet per year). Its name is derived from the shape of the crevasse, which resembles the “swoosh” logo on Nike athletic gear.   OAE Old Antarctic Explorer, an honorific given to those who have endured several summers or at least one Winter on The Ice.   PAX Military abbreviation for “passengers.”   Power Bar Bar where liquor is served in the Science Building in summertime.   PSR Point of Safe Return. This is the furthest point an airplane can go and still return to its point of origin.   Retro Yard All trash, waste and no longer needed equipment (Retrograde) must be shipped out of Antarctica in order to maintain its pristine state. Such waste is packaged and stored near the air strip in measured units for later transport.   The Ritz VIP Berthing with the best view, on the upper floor.   SAR Search and Rescue team.   Science Where the “beakers” are headquartered and artifacts pertinent to the mission are housed. Facilities include:
• Electronics Shop
• The Bone Yard, where archaeological artifacts are housed and studied
• Science Support
• Trek Lounge (coffee shop)
• Power Bar (alcohol in summer only)
  Ship’s Store Internal storehouse/marketplace where station inhabitants can pick up ordered items, place orders for next shipments, or buy sundries off the shelves, affectionately called Wally World.   Snow school Antarctic survival school that all new arrivals to McMurdo must participate in, where they learn how to make snow shelters to block the wind and enable survival if a person is separated from a traveling party.   Spago South Mess Hall 2 located on the upper floor, usually reserved for senior staff, officers and guests.   Techu The name of the international Antarctic research station sponsored by Mahtoht, located near the Nike Crevasse. The name is derived from Thoth, the Egyptian god of learning and science.   Toast A condition experienced by those who overwinter on The Ice, prompted by severe sensory deprivation. This includes irritability, inability to focus and the notable symptom of the “thousand yard stare” when a person zones out completely.   The Tower Telephone and Internet via Unmanned Satellite Earth Ground Station, also called USES.   Trek Lounge Coffee shop located in the Science Building.   U-barrel Bright yellow barrels containing the base’s collected urine, for transport off The Ice.   Wally World (See Ship's Store)   Wiggly Field Ball Park located in a covered space between engineering and the Heavy Shop where outdoor sports can be enjoyed.   WinFly The first week after winter (usually in August) when planes begin to fly again, all the way to Mainbody in October.   WinterOver A person who is now spending or has already spent a winter on The Ice.   Z Hut Storage facility off the skating rink where the Zamboni is housed.