THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED : 2 July 2002
THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED : 2 July 2002
I've put together this page to give you some general information
about your participation in the upcoming ANSMET field season.
Some of the questions are information specific to this season;
other detail ANSMET policies, how to fill out forms, or are taken
directly from questions asked by field team members in regards
to previous seasons. This page probably won't answer all of your
questions, but it is a start and can help you get ready for the
experience of a lifetime. Don't hesitate to call me or email
me at any time if you have more questions you'd like an answer
to.
First, some acronyms and other definitions:
| ANSMET: | Antarctic Search for Meteorites program |
| RPSC: | Raytheon Polar Services Company, the main contractor for OPP |
| CDC: | Clothing Distribution Center in Christchurch |
| CHC: | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| CONUS: | COntinental UNited States |
| LC-130: | A four-engine ski equipped cargo plane |
| MCM: | McMurdo Station, on Ross Island, Antarctica |
| NSF: | National Science Foundation |
| OPP: | Office of Polar Programs |
| PAX: | Passengers |
| PI: | Principal Investigator |
| TO: | Twin Otter, a twin-engined ski equipped light aircraft |
Click on the following to jump to a specific
question, or just browse:
Where are we going?
When?
Yipes! Whats that "survival school"
thing?
Who's going?
Do I get a guidebook? Are there forms to fill out?
What about physicals and dental exams? Do I need
one, and who pays?
Will I need to buy any other special clothing or
equipment?
What do I need to know about the required
sunglasses?
Are there other expenses I should be aware of?
How do I get reimbursed?
Should I purchase extra insurance?
Will I be able to vacation in New Zealand after
the season?
What should I pack?
Will I be able to receive mail in the field? What
about E-mail?
Should I bring my laptop? What about rechargeable
batteries
What special conditions are there for non-US
citizens?
I'm a scientist; what can I do for myself while
in Antarctica?
Just how tough is life in the field?
Should I wear my contacts? My Bifocals?
Boots questions
Long Underwear questions
Sleeping gear questions
Misc. field gear
Cameras, film, etc.
Do you have a packing list we can consult?
What contact numbers can we leave with loved ones
at home?
Should I bring my video camera?
Cow Salve? What the heck is Cow Salve?
Can I buy critical things (film, etc.) in
McMurdo?
Money questions
Should I bring a pillow?
Will we celebrate the holidays?
Can one truly know the future, great swami?
Any other questions?
Currently we plan to operate two independent ANSMET field teams this year; one dedicated to systematic meteorite recovery from well-known icefields, and the other dedicated to high-level reconnaissance of some very promising (but difficult to reach) sites. Final decisions on who goes with which team have not yet been made.
THE SYSTEMATIC SEARCH TEAM A team of 8 dedicated to systematic searching will fly by LC-130 to paradoxically-named Beardmore South Camp at the north end of the Walcott Névé. This abandoned camp will be the starting point for an all-day snowmobile traverse southward across the Névé to Goodwin Nunataks (84 30' S, 161 28' E) and MacAlpine Hills ( 84 13' S, 160 30' E). Goodwin Nunataks was last systematically searched in the 1999-2000 season, recovering more than 400 specimens. Only half of the exposed blue ice in this area was systematically searched. MacAlpine Hills lies to the north and west of Goodwin Nunataks, and was visited in the 1987 and 1988 seasons, with 126 meteorites recovered. However, systematic searching of the MacAlpine Hills icefields was limited.
A scanned USGS map of the region is given below. The weather, logistics and the workload will all determine how much time is spent at the various sites. At the end of the season, the team will traverse back to Beardmore South Camp for the pull-out. The systematic search team will be deployed for about 6 weeks, with both put-in and pull-out planned for a few days earlier than the reconnaissance team. A calendar of events can be found in a later section.
THE RECONNAISSANCE TEAM Using new support from NASA we are putting together a smaller 4 person team that will be heavily supported by small aircraft (Twin Otter) to allow for a high degree of mobility and flexibility. The focus of this team will be to explore new or poorly known icefields, conducting "survey-level" searching and identifying their potential for future systematic work by a larger team . At the present time, we have not selected final targets; but the general region of activity will be out at the western end of the Transantarctic Mountains, with the team operating out of South Pole Station. Put-in and pull-out of this team will be a few days later than for the systematic searching team. Note for those of you selected for this group- you'll get to see some amazing sights, but you need to be ready to travel lean and share a heavier-than-normal physical workload. We'll be updating the recon team plans before summer is out.
In the field, you will be supplied with a copy of the relevant USGS maps and any copies of satellite imagery for your own use. For more maps, pictures, and meteorite info, visit the
Updated 24 June 2002.
Here's a preliminary timetable
for the season. Be aware this timetable is CERTAIN to
change. Any dates given for the
recon. team are especially likely to change since the field season
plans are still being finalized.
| Early Nov. | John Schutt, Jamie Pierce leave CONUS for McMurdo. |
| Nov. 18 | Remaining field personnel leave CONUS for CHC. |
| Nov. 22 | Remaining personnel deploy from CHC to McMurdo |
| Nov. 24-25 | Survival school. |
| Nov. 27 | LC-130 put-in for main 8 person team to Beardmore South Camp. |
| Nov. 28 | 8 person team traverses to Goodwin Nunataks. |
| Dec. 1 | LC-130 put-in of 4 person recon team. |
| Dec. 26 | 8 person main team traverses to MacAlpine Hills |
| Jan. 14 | 8 person main team traverses to Beardmore South Camp |
| Jan. 15 | pull-out of 8 person team to McMurdo |
| Jan. 19 | estimated earliest possible date home for main party (if extra lucky). |
| Jan. 21 | pull-out of 4 person recon. team to McMurdo |
| Jan. 25 | estimated earliest possible date home for recon. party (if extra lucky). |
Don't worry. While we're in McMurdo we go on an overnight shakedown trip as a dry run; a way to test out our equipment before we actually go into the field. One part of that shakedown is some survival and rescue training, conducted by our mountaineer, sometimes with another trained field safety person along as well. You'll learn how to handle yourself in and around crevasses, how to deal with the typical chores of ANSMET life (like setting up a tent, lighting stoves, lashing a sled and avoiding cold injuries), and in general get a chance to ease into life on the polar plateau.
If all goes according to plan, the field party will consist of:
Nancy Chabot, CWRU- veteran of 2 previous trips, science team
leader
John Schutt, Ferndale WA- veteran of 21 trips! Field Safety
Leader
Jamie Pierce, Seattle WA- Summit Expeditions Mountaineer, veteran
of 1 previous ANSMET trip
Daniel Glavin, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany
Diane DiMassa, U. Mass Dartmouth- Veteran of 1 previous ANSMET
trip
Carlton Allen, JSC (astromaterials curator)
Andy Caldwell, Colorado (Teachers Experience Antarctica and the Arctic
participant)
Linda Welzenbach, Smithsonian Inst.
Catherine "Cady" Coleman, JSC (astronaut)
Dante Lauretta, Univ. of Arizona
Dean Eppler, JSC (ISS and Exploration)
Scott Messenger, Wash U. St. Louis
And for now, to maintain a little privacy, I won't list any details of who lives where, email and phone numbers and such. However, email will probably be our most useful way of communicating.
What kind of a bureaucracy would this be without paperwork?
You have probably already received a guidebook called the US
Antarctic
Personnel Guide, chock full of good information and some about
20 years out of date. As a special bonus, long with the guidebook,
you get a bunch of intimidating
forms to fill out. The forms include a general information packet,
some releases concerning
personal behavior, medical information sharing, medical forms to
have filled out by your doctor, and
similar forms for your dentist to fill out.
The forms can be divided into 3 piles based on where they will
be sent: Medical, Dental, and the
Deployment Specialist Group (DSG). The first thing to do is
complete the forms to be sent to
Medical and Dental. Make arrangements to get your physicals done
as quickly as possible;
they are a consistent source of headache and delay. More on that
below. Hold on to the blue forms to be sent to DSG. Those will be
completed in a few months
when field season plans have been finalized. With all the forms,
be sure to make a copy for yourself
before sending them in. You should try to have your Medical and
Dental forms in by the end of September. The blue forms for the
DSG will be completed in the early fall.
Here is some information that is needed to complete the
Medical and Dental forms:
Yes, you do have to take a physical to go to Antarctica. The rationale is that medical facilities in Antarctica are very limited; therefore chronic medical conditions, or those requiring exceptional care, can be very difficult to adequately respond to. While there is no absolute list of medical conditions that will keep you out of Antarctica, things requiring constant monitoring such as heart conditions or insulin-dependent diabetes will rule you out, and things which could be exacerbated by cold or exertion, like severe asthma or arthritis. To help the US program avoid tragedy, all deploying personnel must pass both a physical and a dental exam. PLEASE don't bluff your way through this as it hurts you, ANSMET and everyone else involved.
You will be sent forms for these examinations if you don't have them already. The physical includes a pretty extensive questionnaire and some very specific blood and urine tests. If you have any questions about what you should include on the forms, and what needs to get done, please don't hesitate to contact me. Also, don't hesitate to let your physician know that his report can ultimately determine whether you get to go to Antarctica or not, and you don't want minor physical flaws to get exaggerated. Most physicians are reasonable on this but you need to communicate with them.
Something new in the past years is that RPSC has contracted with a medical lab to do the various blood and urine tests for them (That's the box that came with the forms). If your doctor is willing, follow the instructions on the kit and FedEx the box to the address shown (there's a FedEx airbill at the bottom of the box). If there's any doubt about it (your doctor doesn't want to do this, or the timing is bad and the box will take a week to get delivered) have your doctor's lab do the same tests, and send the results in to RPSC with the forms.
Same goes with the dental exam. One thing that the exam requires is that all wisdom teeth be either in perfect shape or extracted. Don't let the dentist be a victim of the form. If you have wisdom teeth that are not perfect, but cause you no trouble at all, get your dentist to say so. Both the dental and physical forms get reviewed by RPSC physicians, and they'll go by the book unless your physician or dentist helps them.
Another hint: keep copies of all of your forms, and gather the original forms, x-rays and lab results yourself rather than letting the physicians and dentists send them in. I've seen things get lost too many times, and the best way to protect yourself is to take control of the process.
Who Pays? The ANSMET project will reimburse your cost of the examinations required to become a field party member, including a visit to a physician, and a dentist, and the cost of required x-rays and lab work. Only the costs associated with the examination itself will be covered; the costs incurred for repairs or treatment necessary to meet the standards of the Antarctic Program will not be covered. I have a limited budget to cover these costs; if the examinations exceed $250 US I may not be able to reimburse you and you may have to foot part of the bill yourself. For example, the cost of a dental exam will be covered, but if you need to have a cavity filled or a tooth pulled, that is your own expense and ANSMET will not pay for it. Medication, orthotics or other supplies that you personally need to take to the field are entirely your own expense.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have health insurance or other ways to save my grant some of the examination costs, I will be eternally grateful. Also, if you're worried you won't pass the physical for some reason, call me. Some problems are more troublesome than others.
Not really. You can get by quite well with the gear that will
be issued to you by RPSC, ANSMET and the Office of Polar Programs
when you are in Christchurch. The issued clothing is up to date
and functional, if not fashionable. For the most part it consists
of layers of polar fleece, polypropylene, gore-tex outerwear and
other modern gear. Field gear you might want, such as rock
hammers,
binoculars, thermos bottles, and such will also be provided.
Honestly,
there is no reason to use an ANSMET trip as an excuse to go
shopping.
That said, there are some things that most people find they want on an ANSMET trip that are not a part of the issued gear.
Clothing items include:
Your own long underwear (RPSC does not always have
your size or as many pairs as you may want for 6 weeks).
Lightweight insulated booties for wearing in the tent and around
camp are
a very, very popular item, and I wouldn't go to Antarctica without
them myself. An example of what has worked well is shown below,
but anything well insulated and light will do.
A light nylon wind-suit to wear over your thermals also makes
nice in-camp wear- it keeps snow out of your fleece layer, and
also lets you slide around on your sleeping bag more freely.
Lightweight polypropylene glove liners are very useful, and
fingerless gloves
or glove/mitten combos have gotten very popular. Thus I put a
pair or two of Windstopper fleece glove mitts like those shown
below on the "might buy" list.
Another thing that is a "might buy"- some industrial strength kneepads. Not everyone uses them, but I do, and routinely I have about 75% of the party wanting to borrow mine. We spend a lot of time on our knees on the ice working on meteorites, or on our knees riding the snowmobiles. Don't buy the kind you have to slip over your knee- buy the kind that straps on with velcro or buckles, so you can wear them over heavy windpants. You can get these at most hardware stores for $10-$30 depending on how fancy you want to be. I have a few pair of extras in McMurdo but I've found that nearly everyone needs a pair, so I'll recommend you get some yourself. You'll be kneeling on hard blue ice a lot, so the kind with both padding and some kind of shock-absorbing shell are best. My knees are shot after a dozen years of doing this work, so please protect yours better than I did.
With regards to buying these things, I'd rather not recommend a specific vendor- do a web search and I'm sure you'll find something. If you really get stuck, give me a call, but don't rely on me- I hate shopping.
There is no stigma attached to bringing your own outerwear
along, with one exception- you will be required to wear the NSF-
issued
parka, windpants boots and other gear during the flight from New
Zealand to Antarctica, and possibly into the field as well. People
that have their own technical outerwear, (parkas, gore-tex shells,
etc.) can bring them along as extra stuff, and sometimes its nice
to have your own special stuff along. Similarly, if you are a
small or otherwise extraordinary-sized person, you probably should
bring some of your own gloves, mittens, hats etc. just to make
sure the gear fits. More on the clothing issue under "What
should I pack?" .
Non clothing items include:
A camera and tons of film-digital cameras
are great but you need a place to download the images, and you need lots of
batteries. Camcorders can also be great. CD players are another popular item,
second only to lots and lots of good books; expect to trade both with other
field party members. Some people bring nifty little chemical warming pads,
which can be slipped into a cold sock or mitten. Small musical instruments are
nice, but suffer in the Antarctic environment. If you are an "artsy-
craftsy" type, bring down the raw materials you need for your craft.
Other recommended items to bring to Antarctica include small decorations for
your tent; flags or pennants to leave in the breeze; playing cards; sewing or
knitting supplies; and small board games. It is important to note however,
that there will be some space and weight restrictions on what you can take to
the field, particularly for the smaller recon team. More on that later in the
year.
Yes, they will. ANSMET will reimburse the cost of one pair of prescription sunglasses and one pair of cheap (less than $50) backup sunglasses for use if your primary pair is lost or broken. Please get Ralph's okay before spending more than $200. ANSMET will not reimburse costs for contact lenses, or for ordinary (non- sunglasses) eyeglasses.
Note that RPSC has set up a special deal with a favored vendor to provide prescription glasses. The company they have a deal with is Fantasy Eyeland in Denver, Colorado, and they'll sell you single-vision polarized lenses for $100, bi-focals for $150, and frames for about $50 more. However, I know you can get better deals by shopping around- don't be afraid to do so.
It is important that the sunglasses you purchase have the following properties: First, they should filter out 100% of the UV light in the solar spectrum (most quality manufacturers clearly label their sunglasses as such). Second, they should be at least a little scratch resistant, since they will be subjected to dust and dirt continuously for several weeks; glass lenses are better than plastic for this reason. Third, I prefer a flat transmission spectrum (a very neutral grey color) over more colorful lenses. Lenses which have a strong green, purple or amber tint can make identifying meteorites more difficult by making all shades of brown and grey blend together. However, when the contrast drops in Antarctica it goes way down, so the coloration doesn't make a big difference. You'll be able to see the meteorites regardless.
Photo-sensitive lenses (photo-grey) work very well outdoors in Antarctica, and thus are suitable for your field sunglasses. However, these lenses are activated by UV light, and thus do not darken in environments where the UV is already filtered out, such as when looking out of an airplane window. You may find that in these circumstances they are uncomfortably bright. Polarizing lenses are great, except when you have a polarizing filter on your camera and you "cross the polars".
If you have trouble getting good prescription sunglasses, one nice option is to buy quality non-prescription glacier glasses, and have your optometrist replace the lenses. We have had good success with this over the last few years, and it is also usually fairly cheap.
I do recommend you pick sunglasses that do a good job of blocking the wind, either because of side-shields or because of a "wraparound" fit. My guide is this: If I wear the sunglasses and I can look out around the sides of them in any direction, they don't do the job. I also have a good supply of goggle/facemask combos that are really great when the wind is blowing .They aren't all in perfect condition but always very popular, and I'll try to buy replacement lenses.
Now, having said all that, let me tell you what I do. I wear hard contact lenses, so my eyes are a little sensitive to dust and wind, and I prefer "wrap-around" style sunglasses. I usually buy 2-3 pairs of these at gas stations for $4.99 a pair. Lately I've been buying them from safety supply companies as well; UV and shatter-proof, and cheap, so if I sit on them I won't cry. The point I'm trying to make is this- spending money doesn't guarantee you get something comfortable and useful. Make sure you consider all your options and try things out before you go to Antarctica, since you will be wearing these glasses constantly.
One place several recent ANSMET people have gone for prescription sunglasses is Opticus. Note, there are certainly other good companies out there besides this one.
Basically , you are expected to have sufficient money of your own to cover the personal expenses of the physicals and such, and then I will happily reimburse you. Similarly, I expect you to have enough money to cover your living expenses while we are in New Zealand as a part of our trip, and then I will reimburse you on our return. Please note that flight delays may cause us to spend a prolonged time there; two years ago we spent a week in Christchurch, and made 4 aborted attempts to fly to Antarctica. You will want some spending money for souvenirs both in Christchurch and in the small shop at McMurdo. Case Western Reserve University is a stickler for correct reimbursements, so I will ask you to collect all possible receipts for your ANSMET travel expenses, such as lodging, meals, and airport transportation.
First, you need to collect receipts for the expenses you incur. CWRU will reimburse people without receipts but not very willingly. When you have some receipts write a short letter, addressed to me, stating that these are expenses you incurred while meeting NSFs requirements for physical qualification or expenses for equipment required by me for field participation. In that note, it helps if you can give a little summary of the expenses, and include your Social Security Number. Reimbursements can take anywhere from a week to a month depending on the mood of our bureaucracy. Also, you can do this a bit at a time or all at once; its up to you. Lately many people simply wait until the end of the season and submit everything all at once. This tends to overwhelm the bureaucrats and cause less questions as to why a government grant is buying you a pair of Ray-Bans.
This sounds like an "old fogey" question, but it is something you should consider. CWRU takes out a "traveller's aid" policy to help our group cover emergency medical care, but it's extremely limited in scope- it basically gets you to a hospital and pays you a pittance if you are injured so badly that you wish you were dead. Shortly before leaving you will receive a card to be mailed back to us with the name of your designated beneficiary. If you merely become ill, this policy will not cover your care. Nor does this policy cover personal belongings. Some of you may have health insurance that will cover your hospital and other medical expenses anywhere in the world: if you do not, it is your responsibility to arrange for such coverage at your own expense. This is especially important for citizens of countries with socialized medicine; you should ensure you can cover your own emergency medical costs in other countries. Details on CWRU's insurance and what it means to you as an ANSMET team member are at this link:
CWRU's traveller's insurance for ANSMET team members
Absolutely, but not at the project's expense. By late summer our dates for the field season will be a lot firmer, and at that time I will ask you for your travel plans (where in the US you want to depart from, and when you want to return, etc.). RPSC will provide round-trip tickets from continental US locations to Christchurch, New Zealand on American Airlines, and they are usually very happy to have you arrive early in NZ or leave late, and there's no cost to you. However, RPSC gets very cranky if you try to change your original flight schedule once it has been set, and I don't have the money to pay for any changes or upgrades. Another common difficult is people who want to fly to NZ from one location in November, but fly somewhere else on their return in January. These things can be accommodated if you are sweet to RPSC, but may take some careful negotiation. My recommendation is to treat the ANSMET trip as a free round-tripper to NZ and make any side trips self-contained.
During your tenure as an ANSMET field party member you will spend:
-about 3 days each way travelling;
-anything from hours to weeks in temperate New Zealand:
-around 2 weeks in McMurdo Station;
-around 6 weeks camping on the Antarctic Icesheet.
Needless to say, each of these environments will constrain
your choices of what to bring. For travelling, be comfortable:
its a long flight from LA to New Zealand and you will probably
sleep in your clothes. In New Zealand, expect warm springtime
weather, typical of the mid-continent in the US. McMurdo will
remind you of a farmtown in winter; warm workclothes and a pair
of sturdy boots will serve you well. While you can wear the RPSC
issued clothing in McMurdo, most people wear jeans and flannel
shirts and such. In the field, you will probably wear the OPP
supplied gear for the most part.
Most essential for you to bring are those things you need on a
day-to-day basis that RPSC does not supply or that you personally
cannot live without. Toiletries, towels and washcloths, chap-stik,
writing supplies, batteries, safety pins and name-brand
compulsories
(like chewing gum) are best brought by the individual. You will
not need laundry soap, flashlights, ice-axes, crampons, or
bedsheets;
you will need your own soap, shampoo, sunscreen and towels. You
are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages to the ice.
It is strongly recommended that you keep your personal belongings
to a minimum. If you cannot comfortably carry the sum of your
baggage over extended distances (and believe me, you will have
to on several occasions), you have too much stuff. There will
be weight and size limits on what you can bring to Antarctica,
and into the deep field. Be aware that some things are damaged
by freezing (check your sunscreen, contact lens solution, etc)
and that vibrations can also be a problem.
While in McMurdo you will be very well connected. You
can.....
.......Call the outside world with a calling card: if you have a
card by ATT, MCI, or anyone with an 800 access number, you can call from
McMurdo and the charge is similar to calling within the US. So get a calling
card, its worth it.
......Mail will be delivered to you via the ANSMET
project, and takes about 2 weeks to get delivered. Packages can take much
longer because they are considered a lower priority. Also note that all mail
can be inspected by New Zealand customs and contraband will be siezed (ask
Harold Connolly about his $100 bottle of cognac). McMurdo has its own post-
office, and you can purchase stamps or send packages home. Sending letters and
packages to and from McMurdo uses the same postal rates as the US, which
really is a considerable bargain! Your address in McMurdo is given in Chapter
6 of the guidebook.
.......E-mail can be done in a number of ways.
Computers are available in McMurdo to check mail through telnet, the web, or
other standard methods.
While we are in the field, communications get much more limited. We often receive mail in the field if aircraft visit us during the season, to assist with camp moves or provide any re- supply. If this happens, we can usually send some out at that time as well. Daily two-way communications are limited to shortwave radio, usually in contact with either McMurdo or South Pole Station.
ANSMET does have an Iridium satellite phone. The phone is easy to use, though at about $1.50/minute and with heavy associated fees, calls can get pricey fast. Sound quality also leaves something to be desired. ANSMET business gets priority on the phone, but that won't take more than an hour or so a night, so those of you in the main field party will have access for private calls. Note, however, that all costs will have to be covered by you, not by ANSMET-- So if you want to call home by this route you'll have to get your own Iridium account for the duration of the season.
This isn't as difficult as it may sound- it's essentially just like getting cellphone service. You'll have to decide on a provider, pay the associated fees, and get a SIM card which is your unique way to activate the phone for your usage. Note that "pay in advance" service costs $2.50 per minute but you avoid a lot of other fees.
The Iridium phone can also be used as a modem for sending a small volume of email and updating websites (the baud rate is outrageously slow). Right now we are still formulating a policy on this issue; suffice it to say it is a burden on ANSMET to take care of this, so if any email capabilities are available they will be exceptionally limited.
It is likely the recon. team will have an Iridium phone as well, but it'll be Raytheon property, not ANSMET. It probably won't have a modem for computer use, but if you have an Iridium phone card you can use it for voice calls.
More and more field party members have been bringing laptops into the field. Transporting the laptop safely to the field is not a problem, but electrical power when we're out there is definitely a problem. We have routinely set up a few solar panels and wind turbines to run laptops for ANSMET chores, such as downloading and storing digital images and GPS location information about the recovered meteorites. But providing this service for one or two computers is hard enough that we're not willing to provide this service outside of specific ANSMET needs.
In a nutshell, you are welcome to bring your laptop or other electronic gear, but you need to figure out your own power sources to run it. There are commercially available solar panels and other items you can purchase to do so (an RTG would be nice!), and we'll happily help you choose something suitable. And If you find anything that works really well, I'm sure others would like to hear about it too!
Having said all that negative stuff, there may be some power available to occasionally charge a battery or two if your needs are slight. We can try to recharge batteries for cameras, computers, etc. as time and the weather allows. But please recognize that ANSMET work comes first, so if power is a high priority for you, you need to have your own system.
Participants from outside the US should be aware that there are several possible situations that can be a financial burden to you. ANSMET funding is limited and we often cannot cover the full cost of the required physicals in countries where medical care is expensive. In addition, RPSC will not pay for airline flights originating outside the continental US. As a result, European and other non-US participants must pay for their flights to and from a US point of departure. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate passport and visa allowing you to travel to Antarctica via both the United States and New Zealand.
By volunteering for the ANSMET field party, you are in effect agreeing to put ANSMET science goals ahead of any personal goals. Therefore you should not necessarily plan any non-ANSMET related research for execution in the field. During the field season, ANSMET goals will always take priority over any other activities.
However, I am usually receptive to projects initiated by field party members as long as they meet the goals of the ANSMET project (investigating the nature of meteorite concentrations, improving the quality of the field work, or noting interesting related phenomena, etc.). However, you must clear any such project with me far in advance. Should you discover something interesting while in the field, often time can be found for small investigations during weather inappropriate for meteorite searching and recovery. Just remember, I'm competing for the limited logistical support RPSC provides, so I can't arbitrarily ship down a big instrument, scrounge up helicopter time, or those sorts of things.
In my opinion, as long as you are ready for the cold, and familiar with living in a tent, life in the field with ANSMET can be more pleasant that camping in the States. No noisy Winnebagos, no trash at the campsite, no bugs or snakes, no rain - it's ideal! In general, living conditions will be spartan, but comfortable. We'll be living in Scott tents, which are double-walled to insulate and about 9 ft on a side. We'll sleep in down bags, so warm that many people don't zip them up at night. Toilet facilities will be the most limited consideration. Often, this consists of going outside and digging a hole in the snow. This will be the way for around 45 days. We cook with small white-gas stoves, which also warm the tent. Radio contact with McMurdo is maintained daily for emergencies. Usual weather conditions call for temperatures between -10 and -20 °C with steady winds around 20 kph. It can be a lot nicer than that, but it also can be a lot worse; its not unusual to be stuck inside your tent for a week or more as the wind howls at 80 kph or faster. We tent and cook in groups of two, but often gather sociably. Workdays usually are spent on snowmobile (you'll have one of your very own) or on foot (you'll have two of those) looking for meteorites or surveying. With 24 hours of daylight, we may work irregular hours as the job-at-hand demands.
A: The choice of contacts over glasses, or vice versa, is a
personal
one. Personally I can't see worth a darn with my glasses, but
with my contacts I can see like a hawk. It does mean that I'm
more sensitive to the wind or dust or snow, but I wear good
wraparound
sunglasses or goggles to compensate. If you do chose contacts,
you have to deal with this sensitivity, as well as frozen
solutions
and difficulty staying sterile. On the other hand, contacts don't
fog up when you enter a warm tent or exert yourself.
If you are a bifocal wearer, things are a little tougher. Various members of past field parties have tried a lot of different things; wearing one pair of sunglasses for searching, and another for close-up work like collecting is not very suitable, nor is the choice of taking your sunglasses off for close-up work. Some have tried wearing distance-vision contacts, and carrying reading-style glasses for the close up work. There is no good solution, unfortunately, and if you wear bifocals at home you probably need them in the field as well.
A: If you have a lot of experience with winter boots, then
you can be your own judge.
However, I'm a big fan of the "mickey mouse" or
"bunny" boots. I have
sweaty feet, but what I found was that felt-pac boots would just
soak up that sweat, and then freeze,
and I'd be in real trouble. The vapor-barrier action of the bunny
boots prevented that freezing and
kept my feet 10-20 degrees warmer. They do keep your feet moist,
but with good wicking socks
(RPSC provides wool ones) I don't ever get that squishy feeling.
Other factors in favor of the
bunny boots is that they are fairly supportive, the rubber they
are made of is the stickiest we've
found on the blue ice, and of course they are exceptionally large
and attractive.
There are other options. RPSC can provide felt-lined mukluk-style
boots, which some people have preferred. Other field party members
have brought their own Sorel-style pac boots. You can add vapor-
barrier
action to these with neoprene or gore-tex socks, too. You could
even go whole hog and buy Everest style technical climbing boots,
with neoprene booties and stuff. However, I would never commit
to just one style; If you want to bring your own boots, bring
the bunny boots too, just in case. When your feet go bad, the
party is over.
In Mcmurdo you'll be doing a lot of walking around, loading, painting and carrying boxes, that sort of thing. Cheap hiking boots or work boots are the best answer, but some people get by with just tennis shoes. There are opportunities to go running or work out in McMurdo so something athletic is also not a bad idea.
RPSC will provide you with a couple of lightweight sets and
one heavyweight set of long undies. However, in recent years the
supply of good stuff has been drying up, so I do recommend you
bring some of your own, in case RPSC gives you undies that are
too small or ratty. I typically bring down two sets of my own
and the two sets from RPSC and then can change about every week
and a half or so. Again, I am a sweaty guy, but the air is so
dry that its hard to stay wet very long at all.
The tent is a weird thermal environment. Typically the snow we're camped on is a cold-sink at about -40, but with the stoves going, the top of the tent can easily be 90 deg. F, so you have a huge gradient. Typically I hang around in my long undies and a light fleece layer, with a wind layer on top of that, and fluffy booties on my feet. That's plenty to keep me warm indoors and even for 10-15 minutes outdoors- and without the wind layer the fleece has limited insulation value. I also usually sleep in those same clothes, just because I'm lazy. When it's work time, I throw a parka and bibs over that stuff, and I'm ready to go.
Typically we will each have two thick ensolite pads AND a therma-
rest
pad to sleep on, and we have Camp-Rest chairs for everyone too.
It is a problem to find comfort in the confines of a tent, but
when you spend as much time in there as we have, we tend to find
some creative solutions.
A: Everyone will be issued a small backpack with climbing gear,
a thermos, rock hammer, some tools, binoculars, bungee cords,
and kitchen sinks. Bruntons are also available, and actually tuned
for the southern hemisphere. We will be using GPS to establish
the position of meteorites and survey stations routinely, and
we have a very nice set of hand-held units, Magellan Pro-X CP
models.
I'm happy to see folks bring their own equipment, but ask me about
it specifically, just so you don't waste time carrying something
we already have 5 of.
It might be. Some cameras work fine with zero changes; if it
has worked for you in the cold before, chances are it will this
time. However, many cameras are very heavily lubed, particularly
fully automatic cameras, and when that lube starts to stiffen
the camera can quit altogether. I have found a couple of camera
shops that could de-grease my cameras, but they
are rare, and a factory visit is sometimes required. Do a test-
stick your camera in a freezer for a few days and see if it will
work. Bring lots of batteries, and be prepared to warm the camera
up if needed. Finally, many hardware stores sell a spray "de-
greaser"
which is basically ether, which dissolves the lubrication. That's
a last resort, since you don't want to remove all the lubrication,
just most of it.
I used to take 64 ASA exclusively, but now I usually take a few rolls of 200 or even 400 as well. Antarctica is big country, hard to portray in a 35 mm camera scene. A lot of the pictures I like the best are telephoto, with a very high f-stop, and even though the scenery is bright, faster film gives you more options. Also, you'll want some fast film for pictures in buildings and airplanes. I recommend a variety of speeds and smaller rolls of film. By the way, the record, if I remember correctly, is about 60 rolls! And in that case, the person's shutter was frozen, so they had about 2000 half pictures.
Of course, now that I have a digital camera, I don't think I'll be using much film anymore. We use digital cameras to document each meteorite find, and I love the convenience of them. Furthermore, the ability to correct for color and exposure after the fact really improves the quality of the pictures.
Why yes, I do. Here is a copy of Ralph's Packing list from a few years ago.
However, keep in mind that I've been doing this for many years and have accumulated a lot of stuff that will be provided to you by RPSC. Also, keep in mind that I am a pretty sturdy guy and may not be the best model for you if you are a petite woman, for example.
A: If there's an emergency at home, the best way for someone to contact you in the field is to go through proper channels; call NSF at 703-306-1032, and clearly telling them that there is a need to make emergency contact with a member of a deep field party. That's important, because if its something extremely serious (demanding you come home, or something), NSF will be more accommodating.
That said, we have enough contacts in McMurdo that we can be more direct if we need to. It would be possible for someone in the states to call or fax someone in McMurdo directly, who could then talk to us by radio. However, this is a lot of work for McMurdo folks and is only appropriate for emergencies, since it clogs up radio traffic that might be needed for a "real" emergency. Also, it is decidedly not private; anybody else listening to the radio will hear the conversation. I advise that you give your loved ones the NSF phone number; then promise to call them from McMurdo (as mentioned, that's very easy with a calling card).
A: Yep, every few years someone brings a camcorder and they have, for the most part, worked fine, even given all the problems listed for cameras and electronic equipment in general. Battery life has proven extremely limited, but some folks have had external battery packs they could keep deep in their clothing to warm it up. Another nice item is some foam of some sort over the microphone, since the constant wind will be playing a soundtrack for you otherwise. I am a big fan of video- it portrays the Antarctic experience as few other medias can. It's worth the effort if you're willing to play mother hen, keeping a bunch of batteries warm. We've been using digital cameras to take the archival images of meteorites while they are being collected for two years now. They work great, but some better than others. We love our Olympus!
A: The Cow Salve I mention in my packing list is similar to "bag balm", the stuff that you put on cow udders to keep them from getting chapped. It is mostly lanolin, but my "cow salve" is a little nastier, containing a mercury-based antibiotic. This stuff is right up there with Duct Tape on my list of necessities. I do recommend some form of skin balm, vaseline, moisturizer, whatever- the air is very drying and split fingers are common. Personally I have found I have less problems in Antarctica than in the US, since I wash my hands less in the field. But if you are someone troubled by cracking, drying skin, better safe than sorry. Split fingers and toes can be irritating. And don't forget a few band-aids, skin glue, etc. for those knuckle-scraping Skidoo repairs.
A. Bring this stuff from the states if possible. You can certainly get everything you need in NZ, like film and batteries, but they might cost more. McMurdo has a small store, as does Scott Base (about 2 miles away), but they typically never have what you want. If you want film, they have pantyhose. If you want Preparation H they have hair gel. They do have souvenirs but these will be completely picked over by the time we are there. Shopping is not an exciting experience in McMurdo and you can't count on getting essentials there.
A. Scott base and the US base will take a credit card. There's even two ATM's in McMurdo. You shouldn't have a problem getting money in NZ if you carefully check the network of the ATM machine- I've used the method many, many times. ATM machines also give a nice exchange rate. I usually recommend a mix of ATM cards and credit cards and so you have as many options as possible.
A: That's up to you. If you like a good pillow, bring one. I usually have a fleece stuffsack that I stuff with clothes for the same effect. McMurdo has one pillow per bed, but they are usually crappy government surplus feather ones (hmmm. Penguin feathers?).
A: Usually we do, and I recommend people bring down small gifts they can give to their field party members. My preferences generally run toward real estate, impressionist paintings, and small subsidiary companies, while John has always wanted his own ski- and float- equipped Twin Otter. We tend not to make too big of a deal of the holidays, but we do use the season as an excuse to get together, relax over a steaming mug or two, and swap presents and stories.
Ah, little grasshopper, The future is known to those who live there. Perhaps your future has already been written, to be read by those who can.
I'm sure there are. Call or write anytime,but read the crap that preceded this to make sure you didn't just skip the answer.
