The long Antarctic winter is turning to spring at the Franco-Italian Concordia research station, which has resisted the brutal forces of nature about 1200 km inland on top of an icy plateau 3000 m above sea level. During winter, the Sun doesn't rise above the horizon for about three months, and temperatures can drop down to -80°C.
This video shows the harsh but beautiful landscape around the station on one of the last sunny days in May and then how the darkness engulfed Concordia with its 12-strong winter-over team. Finally the Sun returned on 10 August -- a memorable moment for the men and women who keep the station running and conduct the scientific work in those difficult, almost space-like conditions.
The video was shot by Olivier Delanoe and it includes excerpts from the letters sent by Antonio Litterio to ESA's Concordia blog.