“Ivan” The Terra Bus is known to all who deployed to McMurdo Station with the US Antarctic Program (USAP) from 1993 right up until the behemoth was retired after the 2024 Antarctica science season deployments. According to the USAP, “It is estimated that over his 30-year stretch, Ivan carried more than 100,000 support personnel, NSF grantees and military support staff between the station and airfields, braving extreme conditions and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”

So where did Ivan go? Our 2025 Antarctica Field Team rediscovered Ivan behind the Antarctic Center in Christchurch, New Zealand! Team members celebrated their encounter with this icon of Antarctic science transportation, as seen in this Live Photo movie by Shelly Campbell, above. Archive footage of Ivan in action can be seen in this project video from years past, below.

– Mary Lynn Price, Multimedia Specialist
Erebus Bay Weddell Seal Population Study