Operation Deep Freeze

…as part of its mission Operation Deep Freeze, from the 1970s onward control was gradually transferred to the NSF and various contractors, and today the military’s main role is providing logistical support, most notably by operating many of the flights to and from the station.

…this capacity he helped supervise Operation Deep Freeze, a major scientific and exploratory expedition sent to the Antarctic under navy auspices as part of the program of the International Geophysical Year (1957–58). Byrd accompanied the expedition aboard the icebreaker Glacier and took his last exploratory flight over the South Pole…