ANSMET 2013

Abstract

From December 2013 to January 2014, MSFC Planetary Scientist Dr. Barbara Cohen participated in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) 2013-2014 season. With a team of eight, a systematic search of the Antarctic ice in the South Miller Range turned up 333 samples; one of the largest is seen here with Dr. Cohen for scale. Since 1976, ANSMET has recovered more than 25,000 specimens from the ice along the Transantarctic Mountains. The icy surfaces of this area are particularly well suited for meteorite searches because of surface stranding: the surfaces must have bare ice, must be composed of large volumes, and the ice must flow out of the area more slowly than new ice arrives. The ANSMET specimens are currently the only reliable, continuous source of new, nonmicroscopic extraterrestrial material, and will continue to be until planetary sample-return missions are successful. The ANSMET program is supported by grants from the Solar System Exploration Division of NASA. Polar logistics are provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the U.S. National Science Foundation. The Principal Investigator of the current grant is Dr. Ralph P. Harvey at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Barbara Cohen is seen with a large meteorite from the Antarctic's Miller Range