January 12, 2011 in Pictures
Meteorite Expedition on the Plateau
Once the reconnaissance work was completed, the team took Steven Goderis (Free University of Brussels) and Vinciane Debaille (Université Libre de Bruxelles) to their base camp in the field. Crossing the blue ice on their ski-doos, the scientists, accompanied by their Japanese counterparts, started their hunt for meteorites. The scientists will stay for several weeks on the plateau before returning to the Princess Elisabeth Station with their samples.
The convoy on its way to the plateau
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Marking crevasses
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Minor repairs
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Vinciane Debaille (Université Libre de Bruxelles),Tsuyoshi Nagaki (National Institute of Polar Research), and Hiroshi Kaiden (NIPR) on their way to the plateau
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Erik Verhagen travelling in the cabin
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Jacques Richon, high-altitude mountain guide and doctor
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
The snow bridge over this crevasse collapsed after the sledges crossed over it
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
The convoy crossing a field of blue ice
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Base camp for the meteorite expedition
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Storm at the base camp
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Strong winds blow snow 30 metres up in the air, making for poor visibility
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Kristof poses with one of the frozen Prinoths
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
When it's this cold, you need a full face mask for protection
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
The wind carved this hole in the blue ice
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Looking for meteorites on ski-doos
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Steven Goderis (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) writes down the tracking number of a meteorite that Vinciane Debaille found
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
The meteorites are photographied alongside an object to give a scale reference and then numbered
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Hiroshi Kaiden (NIPR) catalogues a meteorite he just found
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
A nice meteorite 5cm long
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Vinciane cautiously places a meteorite in a plastic bag in order not to contaminate it
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Vinciane Debaille, Université Libre de Bruxelles
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
René Robert with a meteorite he just found. With the wind blowing, it feels like -30°C
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert
Group picture of the team that went on the meteorite expedition in the field
© International Polar Foundation - René Robert