ANSMET vets gathering for a lovely evening in Frankfurt, Germany.

Hello everyone!    This will be a quick headlines-style post,  as I try to retrain myself to provide more frequent updates.

Best news to share is that plans for the deployment of a team to the Dominion Range Main icefield this austral summer are progressing!  Everything’s still “GO” but a lot of the formal prep work is happening later than we’re used to (or frankly, comfortable with) compared to prior deployments. This because of many system-level changes in personnel and procedures within NSF’s Office of Polar Programs, with more intermediate cross-checks and planning stages than ever before.  But we’ll get there!   As of right now the field team is scrambling to finish their physicals, I’m planning the team’s Bootcamp in Cleveland for late October, and Jim is working through all the lists making sure we’re getting the gear we want and the schedule that works.

In other news, many of you know that the Meteoritical Society hosted a special session in honor of ANSMET’s 50th anniversary at their annual meeting in Frankfurt, Germany last month-  and it was absolutely a blast both scientifically and personally.   I had the great honor of giving the public Barringer Lecture at the meeting and I’m utterly grateful to all of you who showed up and helped make it entertaining.  The next day Jim organized a less formal gathering of ANSMET vets at a nearby brewpub, as seen in the image above.  There’s something really amazing about any gathering of ANSMET vets, which spans generations of scientists and a broad  spectrum of interests.  Whether they were in the field together or separated by 1000 km and 20 years, everyone seems to immediately be friends and enjoy each other’s company.  I’m so glad ANSMET has had a positive impact on so many lives and my heartfelt thanks go out to all of you that participated- with your support ANSMET’s future can be as bright as its past.

Okay, that’s enough for now.   I’ll provide more updates whenever something eventful happens!

-Ralph, from overly-warm Cleveland Ohio.