Analog Studies

Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 14 December 2024: Departing Novo Station

By Keith Cowing

Press Release

December 14, 2024

Filed under Analog, Antarctica, Away Team, Dale Andersen, Enceladus, exobiology, expedition, extremophile, Lake Untersee, Limnology, Microbial mat, Novo Station, Novolazarevskaya Station, plume, ROV, SCUBA, SETI Institute, webcast

Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 14 December 2024: Departing Novo Station — Planes on the Novo runway Left to right: Twin Otter; IL-76TD, Basler BT-67 (remanufactured and modified Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Douglas DC-3)

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen is back in Antarctica at Lake Untersee for another field season of Research (preview). Dale’s work is coordinated through the SETI Institute. We’ll be posting his updates here. You can read about his prior exploits this year and in prior field seasons here.

Dale: “The team and I are heading north this morning, departing Antarctica after another wonderful field season at Untersee Oasis. If all goes as planned, we’ll touch down in Cape Town this evening. Our ride arrived on the ice runway yesterday afternoon—farewell to this frozen world for now!”

Dale’s flight to and from Antarctica has been aboard this IL-76TD jet‘The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union’s Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967. The Il-76 has seen extensive service as a commercial freighter for ramp-delivered cargo, especially for outsized or heavy items that cannot be carried by other means. It has also been used as an emergency response transport for civilian evacuations as well as for humanitarian aid and disaster relief around the world. Thanks to its ability to operate from unpaved runways, it has been useful in undeveloped areas. Specialized models have also been produced for aerial firefighting and zero-G training.” (Wikipedia) Image: Dale Andersen

Below is that plane as it prepared to depart with Dale and his team from South Africa in October 2024. Image: Dale Andersen

Keith: Dale and I have been proving research updates – from Antarctica – since 1996. We think we actually had the first webserver (located in my old condo) updated from Antarctica. More details here: Dale Andersen’s 1996 Antarctic Field Research Photo Albums

Astrobiology

Keith Cowing

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻

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