Aurora+Australis

Introduction
The //Aurora Australis// is Australia's Antarctic flagship. It was named after the southern hemisphere atmospheric phenomenon – [|Aurora Australis]. Designed as a multi-purpose research and resupply ship, the //Aurora// was built by Carrington Slipways in Newcastle for P&O Polar and launched in September 1989. The ship is 94.9 metres long and 3911 tonnes in weight. It has a cruising speed of 13 knots, and accommodates 116 passengers. It is capable of breaking ice up to 1.23 metres thick. The //Aurora Australis// is well equipped with a trawl deck, purpose designed for marine science and oceanographic work.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/.a/6a00e0097e4e6888330148c836bd70970c-600wi

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/travel-and-logistics/ships/aurora-australis

Hot Noisy and Fuel Filled
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZZJda61Qmw&feature=player_embedded

Interview with the Captain Compass Use Restrictions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLtg4MXpcPM&feature=player_embedded

Breaking Through The Ice
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The Aurora Australis Light Show
The snapshot, above, of the Aurora Australis, was taken on May 24, 2010 from ISS as it overlooked the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 km above the Earth. According to NASA, this extraordinary image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection - huge spurts of gas threaded with magnetic field lines, ejected from the Sun over the course of several hours.
 * IF SPECTACULAR VIEWS OF** Earth aren't enough, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been treated to a display of nature's own light show.

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/aurora-australis-spectacular.htm