Learning the ropes

Hello all, It was a quiet early Sunday morning in McMurdo Station that allowed me time to quietly drink coffee and write some emails, (I know this is obvious to those that received my emails) before our team visited Scott's 1902 Discovery Hut for a tour to learn about the ongoing progress of the Antarctica Heritage Foundation restoration efforts....

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the BFC (Berg Field Center)

  Today we put together everything we need to be comfortable and safe in the field, from tents to sleeping bags to kitchen sets. There is an amazing amount of getting things out, moving them over here, trying them to see if they work, putting them back in their bags...

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One more pic….

...this one from Alex with no comment from him.  What you are witnessing the annual Blessing of the Skandics,  by our Pontiff, Johnny "Alpine" Schutt, D.Sc. (at left).   Meanwhile Steve and Jani are trying to impress someone by taking notes.     -posted by rph from Cleveland.

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McMurdo at last!

  The third time did turn out to be a charm - we are all finally in McMurdo!! Our flight down yesterday (December 5) went without a hitch. We refueled at Invercargill and landed on Pegasus airfield by 6:30pm. "Ivan" the Terra Bus took us down to McMurdo where Jim and...

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Boomerang!

  Hi all,   Last night I posted that it seemed like the team was underway, and they were-  sort of.  In fact they got on the plane multiple times, flew part way, and then came home. In the local idiom it's called a "Boomerang" flight, and it's a fairly...

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Getting Outfitted

  Today got us excited to go to McMurdo, because we got to put on all of our cold weather gear at the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) in Christchurch. As you can see, the four of us women were very cozy in our big reds. Sadly, since the boys weren't...

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The 2013-2014 ANSMET field team

This Friday the remainder of the 2013-2014 ANSMET field team begins their journey southward to McMurdo Station, Antarctica.  John and Jim are already underway, while the rest, a combination of seasoned veterans and newbies,  are getting ready to travel. ANSMET field teams are made up of a mix of leadership...

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The 2013-14 season, revised

As I write this,  John and Jim should be waking up on their first day in McMurdo, Antarctica.   The rest of the team is gearing up for the same trip themselves, with most people leaving the US the day after Thanksgiving. In early October we published a preview of...

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2013-2014 Field Season Preview

  For the 2013-2014 field season,  ANSMET is planning a return to the Miller Range icefields.  Last visited in 2011-2012, these icefields have been visited six times previously, yielding over 2300 specimens and including many rare types such as martian and lunar meteorites. There are three large blue ice areas...

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