News – Page 36 – ANSMET, The Antarctic Search for Meteorites

No goats in McMurdo, and other tails

December 15, 2016

The Antarctic weather gods continue to be annoyed with me, perhaps because I was unable to find a goat to sacrifice to appease them. We woke up this morning to dense fog, so dense that Ob Hill was not visible from downtown McMurdo. Normally, Ob Hill...

The weather gods were angry

November 24, 2016

Greetings faithful blog readers, greetings from McMurdo Station … still. I must have been deemed unworthy to fly by the Antarctic weather gods, because when we called into fixed-wing operations to get word on our flight, the word was “cancelled!” The weather looking south in the general direction of...

The waiting game…

December 15, 2016

John and I are scheduled for put-in today for the pre-season trip, but … you know … weather. Currently the time of departure is “TBD” with instructions to call fixed-wing after 12:15. The good news: I’ll be able to get lunch in the galley today!...

The plane, the plane…

December 15, 2016

(The title will only make sense for the old folks who watched “Fantasy Island, or lived in the US in the late 70s and early 80s. You just could not escape that catch phrase!) This will be a short update to announce that a New Zealand...

Almost flying

December 15, 2016

So far so good. I am in the departure lounge for Antarctica. Everything is going smoothly this morning. Shuttle picked me up along with several other antarctic people, delivered us to the CDC where we got dressed for action, and after a brief check in we were released...

Fantastic Beasts and seismic shaking

December 15, 2016

As I write this I'm on the schedule to fly south to McMurdo tomorrow morning, weather permitting. After taking care of my business at the CDC earlier today (see my last post) I had a quick lunch (caesar salad with venison) and spent a couple of hours writing reference letters...

Ralph’s turn in the CDC

November 21, 2016

Hello all, I made it to Christchurch yesterday afternoon, after 28 hrs of flying (Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth to Sydney to Christchurch. It's never comfortable to sit on a plane for 17 hours (that DFW to SYD leg) but I slept pretty well, and that makes a big difference. Had...

Warm, but less comfy

December 15, 2016

Yesterday when I summited Ob Hill, it was overcast, -9 C (16 F) but windless. On my way up to the summit, I had to stop, peel-off my fleece pullover, and finish the climb in Tee-shirt and light parka - unzipped! Otherwise, I would have ...

From the lofty peak…

December 15, 2016

Today is Sunday when the support staff has a day of rest. As a result, there are only a limited number of things we can do to get ready for the field. I took advantage of the hiatus to summit Ob (Observation) Hill, something only half...

Never ready to go.

November 19, 2016

Hi all, Ralph here. In two hours I leave home for Antarctica. This will be my 24th trip in 30 years (my first trip was in 1987). Still, I'm as nervous as I've ever been! There are Triassic-sized butterflies in my tummy. I'll be en route to Christchurch for roughly 28 hours...

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