We Are StarDust
To paraphrase PJ O’Rourke, as hell holes go, this was a fine example. Perhaps less hospitable places exist on the planet, but I have yet to taste of…
News from Antarctica
Interested in what's happening down at Princess Elisabeth? News from the field are posted here regularily to keep you updated about what's going on.
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Science Heads to the Field
Christmas at Utsteinen was a little surreal. Work continued at the same frenetic pace as all the containers had to be unloaded from the ship. Everyone pitched in, from technicians…
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The Expedition Team Returns from the Coast
On Sunday, December 5th, a shining sun greeted the team on their well-deserved day of rest along with a bright blue sky, no wind, and mild temperatures (-9°C).…
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The Scientists have Left for the Coast
On Friday, November 26th, the team of glaciologists from BELISSIMA has left the Princess Elisabeth Station for the coast: the trip will take about 20 hours to complete. The convoy consisted…
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A Japanese Inspection Team at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica
The new team arrived with Denis Lombardi (seismologist from the Royal Observatory of Belgium), the team from SES Astra (Marcel Kneipp and Robert Smith), Bernt Franzen from Vertex (the satellite…
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Belgium Back on Air in Antarctica
After nearly 44 years of silence on the Belgian side of the radio, activity has started again from the Princess Elisabeth Station at Utsteinen. Karel Moerman has been able to establish…
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Entering the Home Stretch
The first Ilyushin flight of the year on the D5 was delayed due to bad weather. The new group, bringing in Johan and the technical relay, the scientific teams (BELDIVA,…
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Facing the Elements
4th January 2010 - Steven Goderis looks worried. We are leaving him behind, and who knows what awaits him in the surreal world into which he finds himself. We give him…
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Caught in a Whiteout near Balchen
The BELARE-JARE expedition is now fully underway. But unfortunately we're stuck somewhere near Balchen, and standard Japanese field protocol says we can't drive any further. We're caught in a whiteout…
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First Traverse to the Coast
Utsteinen, December 6th, 2009 - On Thursday, Alain, René, Kristof and I headed to Crown Bay and Breid Bay to do some reconnaissance and prepare the offloading area. We left…