This photo of McMurdo Station was taken circa 1965 from Observation Hill. The buildings in the foreground comprised the nuclear power plant which produced electricity for the station between 1962 and 1972. Nuclear power was viewed as cleaner and more cost effective than shipping and burning petroleum. The US Navy operated the plant, as well as the rest of the operational facilities, for the Antarctic Program. On 25 May 1979, the US Department of Energy's authorization report stated that the site had been thoroughly decontaminated following a six-year cleanup. This marked the end to the only experiment ever attempted to power an antarctic station with a nuclear reactor. To learn more, read the March 1980 issue of the ANTARCTIC JOURNAL.