Thursday was our last full day in the field at Davis-Ward, where the team had some pretty significant accomplishments. We finished up collecting there—a big feat since ANSMET had visited seven times previously. We collected more than 200 meteorites this season, including some pretty hefty and unique ones, like potential carbonaceous chondrites. As I said in a previous post, these meteorites likely originate from asteroids. And they’re RARE! Scientists have been hunting for a subset of carbonaceous chondrites through the Osiris Rex mission, whose aim is to collect samples from the asteroid Benu. These kinds of space rocks contain organic compounds, some of which are like the starter pack for life. They could hold clues about where we came from, which is pretty profound.

In addition to our scientific feats, we also enjoyed other accomplishments. We made pizza and had a made-to-order quesadilla station in the science tent. We played an ANSMET-themed version of Family Feud. We all became adept runway groomers, thanks to Brian and snowmobile “Groomy Gus.” We learned to chip glacial ice to make water. And we expertly took down camp in close to 40 knot winds at -40 degrees C/F.

Overall, the season was a blast. Thank you, Jim, Ralph, Brian and John for picking us and then getting us ready for this wonderful adventure.

-Daniela from McMurdo Station