Following the Nov-20 blog posted by Duck I went for a walk to the Observation Hill and here are some pictures taken on the way. One third into the hike I saw the site where a 1.75 MW nuclear reactor operated since 1962 for about 10 years.  It used 93% enriched 235U.  Presently only one reactor in the US (MURR = Univ. of Missouri Research Reactor) operates using this highly enriched uranium. We use MURR to irradiate mineral separates from meteorites for iodine-xenon dating.  McMurdo reactor provided electrical power, while waste heat was used for sea water desalination.  In 1972 it was disassembled, cut into pieces and together with surrounding soil transported to the US for proper burial.

Next picture was taken about 2/3 of the hike, where the steepest part begins. The rest of the pictures were taken from the top of the Hill.  – Alex Meshik from McMurdo.