Antarctic rescue plane arrives in Chile

The Twin Otter airplane arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile on Thursday     ON THE NEWS Gary Tuchman: Where is Dr. Shemenski now and what is the next part of his journey?

ROTHERA, Antarctica (CNN) -- An ill American doctor evacuated from the South Pole for medical treatment arrived here Thursday, the first time in six months he has set foot outside of Antarctica.

Dr. Ronald Shemenski, stepped off the red Twin Otter under a gray sky at Punta Arenas, Chile the world's southernmost commercial airport, at 3:52 p.m. following a nearly five-hour flight from the Antarctic Peninsula at the British Antarctic research station in Rothera.

Shemenski had rested overnight at Rothera, after being air-lifted from the Amundsen-Scott Station near the South Pole in the depth of a polar winter.

From Chile, he will travel to Denver, Colorado, where he will receive medical treatment for a life-threatening disorder.

VIDEO CNN's Gary Tuchman reports on the rescue of the ill doctor from the South Pole (April 26) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Dr. Ronald Shemenski arrives in Chile on his way to the Denver, Colorado, where he will be treated for a medical disorder Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     CHAT TRANSCRIPT Fmr. South Pole Physician Dr. Robert Thompson on his rescue from the South Pole     RESOURCES Antarctica rescue map Ailing Antarctic researcher headed to Denver From KMGH, Denver

Shemenski, 59, recently suffered a bout of gallstones and pancreatitis. He was the only physician among 50 people at the Amundsen-Scott Station, where the National Science Foundation conducts astronomy and astrophysics research.

While Shemenski is doing well now, U.S. officials decided to bring him back to the United States for treatment in order to avoid further attacks, which could be life threatening.

The plane dropped off a replacement for Shemenski at the polar station: Dr. Betty Carlisle, a veteran of two earlier Antarctic missions, will remain at Amundsen-Scott until the Antarctic winter ends in early November.

A crew of three, plus Carlisle, made the 1,346-mile (2,153-kilometer) flight from Rothera to the pole on Tuesday -- a dangerous and rare event in the Antarctic winter.

Poor visibility and extreme cold limit most air travel to a six-month stretch from October through March, before the onset of the Antarctic winter. In April, the South Pole typically receives just four hours of sunlight per day. High winds can drive temperatures down to -140 degrees Fahrenheit (-96 Celsius).

"As far as I know, this is unprecedented," Valentine said. "The only thing that was close to it was when they took Jerri Nielsen out."

Shemenski, himself a physician, requires urgent medical attention.

Nielsen was the Amundsen-Scott base physician until October 1999, when she was flown out after discovering a lump in her breast that required treatment. In that case, Valentine said, "The weather was getting better day by day, where now it's getting worse day by day."

Shemenski, of Oak Harbor, Ohio, holds a medical degree from the University of Tennessee and a doctorate in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had been the polar base's physician since November, Valentine said.

larger   An aerial view of the Amundsen-Scott Pole Station

Carlisle, his replacement, has done two previous tours at Amundsen-Scott, in 1992-93 and 1995-96.

Three doctors in a row have now encountered medical problems during the Antarctic winter. In addition to Nielsen and Shemenski, Dr. Robert Thompson had to be evacuated from the base last year after he injured a disk in his back.

"The odds of this happening are just too high to calculate, and I really can't explain it," Thompson said. "It's strange. It makes you think of a jinx."

National Correspondent Gary Tuchman, Enviromental Correspondent Natalie Pawelski and CNN.com Writer Matt Smith contributed to this report.

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Antarctica's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
National Science Foundation
Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica
The New South Polar Times

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