The ship deployed from Ushuaia harbor in late November to conduct a variety of missions in support of the Antarctic community during the Austral summer.

The ship's itinerary extended as far south as the Brown Antarctic Base at 64 degrees 35.5 minutes south latitude - areas in which geostationary satellite coverage is unreliable due to the low elevation angles above the horizon.

The deployment also unexpectedly included operations to support the rescue of passengers and crew from a cruise ship that ran aground near Cape Anna on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The ship's commanding officer, Rodrigo Martin Arriegues, reported that the Iridium OpenPort unit performed well throughout the deployment, more than exceeding expectations.

"When compared to other communication options, Iridium OpenPort gives us much more data speed, a reliable communication system and a much more complete solution," he said.

Arriegues said that, prior to Iridium, the ship's crew were forced to rely on high-frequency radio for telephone calls, using a phone patch to the Public Switched Telephone Network through a naval radio station in Ushuaia.

He believes Iridium OpenPort made a tremendous impact on crew morale on the ship, making it possible for the first time for crew members to call and e-mail loved ones at home, surf the Internet and participate in online social media.

"This service played a critical role in maintaining crew morale," he said. "The crew enjoyed the ability to communicate more easily with their families during the long voyage away from home."

Arriegues said another exciting new application for the crew was the ability to interface with social networks such as Facebook, through which they were able to share the "Antarctic experience" with their families and friends.

"We created an Antarctica social network with the bases at Jubany and Esperanza, where we share a lot of information," he said.

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Bishkek (AFP) March 5, 2009
Kyrgyzstan is ready to talk to the United States about keeping open an airbase used to support operations in Afghanistan, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was quoted on Thursday as saying.