NASA-439 on the Kangerlussuaq ramp

NASA-439 preparing for flight on the Kangerlussuaq ramp, with four recently-arrived C-130s of the 109th Wing of the New York Air National Guard in the background.  The 109th is a unique military unit.  It is the only organization in the world that operates large, ski-equipped transport aircraft, and maintains competence in the complex art and science of deep-field flight operations from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.  Science support is a major part of their mission.  They are also great friends of NASA and of OIB, and they have a long history of providing critical help and advice for us - in both hemispheres.