The responses allowed the psychologists to assess the potential for the individual to have a successful over-winter experience. It's a very small community, and people generally seemed to be happy. In early January, Zeman flew to Christchurch, New Zealand where she waited for aircraft mechanical problems to be fixed in order to get a flight across the southern ocean to McMurdo. After the psychology team arrived, word traveled quickly. McMurdo accommodates about 1,200 people during the Antarctic summer when research activity reaches its peak, and another 200 people work at the South Pole where a new facility and power plant are under construction.
Population drops like the temperature during the Austral winter.
About 250 people stay at McMurdo, and 50 people keep the lights on at the South Pole Station. A New Zealand station near McMurdo hosts only 11 people. The daily routine at McMurdo focuses on work during the week with various recreational activities scheduled for evenings. Since Sunday is the only day off, Saturday night becomes a time for relaxation and parties. Much of that activity occurs in one of the three bars at McMurdo, although there is also a significant number of non-drinkers who gather in other areas.