Updated 5:45 p.m. ET: Plane lands at the poleThe U.S. government has launched a rescue mission to the South Pole after a worker at its Amundsen-Scott research station fell ill. The evacuation comes at the height of winter on the Antarctic continent — a time when there are usually no flights in or out of the pole.A Twin Otter aircraft has landed at the pole after a 1,500-mile journey from the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Station. The National Science Foundation says the crew will rest for some hours and then assess weather conditions before attempting the return journey. A second plane was stationed at Rothera as a backup.The mission is considered risky. The South Pole is currently in a state of perpetual darkness, and as NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports:"Normally no flights go in or out from February to October because of the extreme weather, such as temperatures around -70 degrees Fahrenheit."According to the National Weather Service, the current temperature at the Amundsen
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