CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) -- Two Air National Guard Hercules LC-130 cargo planes arrived at Antarctica's coast Wednesday, positioning themselves for a daring mission to the South Pole to rescue an American doctor with a lump in her breast.
After a 24-hour delay caused by bad weather, the two planes set out from New Zealand for McMurdo base in Antarctica after high winds and swirling snow eased on the frigid continent.The planes now must wait until the temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station rises above minus 58 degrees before flying there to pick up Dr. Jerri Nielsen. The temperature is expected to rise above that mark within the next 10 days.
"They will decide on a day-by-day basis on whether to undertake the pole mercy dash to pick up Dr. Jerri Nielsen," West said. The decision will depend on the weather conditions, he said.
Nielsen, 47, is the only physician among 41 researchers at the Amundsen-Scott base, which is run by the U.S.-based National Science Foundation. She discovered a lump in her breast earlier this year but could not be evacuated because of the harsh polar weather.
It is feared Nielsen has breast cancer, but the NSF has refused to discuss her condition.
A replacement doctor for the station and a team of medics to treat Nielsen are on one of the planes, which are fitted with skis to allow them to land on the ice at Amundsen-Scott base.
A daring July flight airdropped medical supplies to Nielsen, and she is believed to have been treating herself with chemotherapy since then.