Quick note from Da Boss
I talked to the team last night via iridium phone. Looks like they can get about 3-4 more days of searching in, then they'll start packing up for the homeward trip. It takes the best part of two days each leg in perfect weather; two...
News
The universe abounds with innumerable "Saganesque" mysteries, billions and billions of unknowns with an even greater number of clues to stimulate the souls and minds of all humans. We, the members of ANSMET 2013-14, feel privileged beyond words to be at the cusp of investigation into some of these...
When I describe to people how we search for meteorites out here - eight people on skidoos, looking with our eyes and collecting with our hands - a natural question that comes up is, why don't we use robots for that? After all, we send some pretty sophisticated robots...
It was a beautiful, balmy day today around the Miller Range camp area. It's amazing how the lack of winds makes such a big difference to our comfort levels out in the field. Once we heard that our resupply flight had been cancelled for the day, we took off...
Yellow tented harbor
I have seen waves before, out on the Blue Ice. Translucent, topaz swells undulate and interfere generating domical forms. Tiny, superposed, ubiquitous ripples reveal the relentless ravages of wind and sun. But out here, on the divide between ice sheet snows and plateau winds monstrous forms emerge....
Here's the ANSMET team atop Mt. Schutt, in search of blue ice.
A meteowrong, but a cute one
We awoke today to find our neighborhood greatly changed, namely, covered in snow! The fresh snow had sufficiently covered our snowmobile tracks and changed the landscape to remind us, yet again, how truly isolated and awe inspiring the Miller Range is. The sky was...
Ralph (the website maintenance guy and PI of ANSMET) here-
I just want to warn our readers (particularly loved ones of the field party) that I'm stepping away from full speed internet (gasp!) until very late Monday (13 Jan). That's probably going to mean few or no posts for a...
After making rather merry during our Christmas celebrations last night, our spirits were higher than the wind, so we got out and searched all day today. A storm was pushing in from the east, over the Ross Ice Shelf, and this competed with the southern katabatic winds for control...
Just as Shackleton was tent bound more than 100 years ago on this day due to weather, so are we. Last night's dreams were influenced by strong katabatic winds that find our tents minor obstacles to be trifled with and whipped about in a frenzy of creaks, slaps, and...