Marisat GOES Terminal, South Pole - Phot. by Nicolas S. Powell, National Science Foundation

This is the record of a phone call among the crew of the ISS (2 people) and the crew of the Amundsen-Scott Station, South Pole, Antarctica (57 people) running from 12:30 to 13:15 UTC on the 24 Sep 2003.

The link was technically possible by a double TDRSS communication satellites link, one connecting the ISS to Houston Control, and the other connecting the South Pole Station to White Sands Ground Complex in New Mexico, and than to Raytheon Polar Service Corporation (RPSC), Denver, CO and NASA, Houston, Texas, where the phone patch was established.

The astronauts on board the ISS were the Russian Yury Malichenko and the American Ed Lu.

The largest difference between our two places seems to be that while the Astronauts on board of the ISS see a sunrise about 16 times a day, we have only seen a sunrise in an year at the South Pole. But we also had something in common: we would sell our sister for some fresh veggies...

Cady Coleman, NASA astronaut, Houston Ground Control
Ed Lu, NASA astronaut, International Space Station

Chris Martin, astronomer - 1st voice from South Pole
Miles Smith, astronomer - 2nd voice from South Pole

and

the Winter Crew of the Amundsen-Scott Station, South Pole, Antarctica

recorded and edited by Larry Rickard at South Pole Station

short version (27 MB)
about 30 minutes- audio stream

long (unedited) version (64 MB)
about 60 minutes - audio stream