Icy Worlds Archives

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars

Arctic and Antarctic Analogs for Liquid Water on Mars

by Keith CowingAugust 20, 2000April 14, 2024

In June 2000 the world got another dose of Mars hysteria similar, but more limited in amplitude, to the attention that accompanied the ALH84001 Mars meteorite announcement in 1996. The […]

Underwater beneath the 4.5 meter thick ice-cover of Lake Hoare, looking back at the dive hole.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microgravity, Status Report

Dale Andersen’s 1996 Antarctic Field Research Photo Album Volume 1

by Keith CowingDecember 20, 1996January 11, 2026

Editor’s note: This is a revised version of the original website that was first posted – from Antarctica – in 1996.

Battleship Promontory is known for its large sandstone formations and numerous cliffs and pillars. The elevation is about 1800 meters above mean sea level.

Dale Andersen’s 1996 Antarctic Field Research Photo Album Volume 2

by Keith CowingDecember 20, 1996November 23, 2023

Editor’s note: This is a revised version of the original website that was first posted – from Antarctica – in 1996.

Explorers Club Members Way Down Under During a recent visit with our New Zealand colleagues, we had the opportunity to meet briefly with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt. Hon. Jim Bolger and others in his party including Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund is an honorary President of the Explorers Club. As luck would have it, other members of the Explorers Club just happened to be present. Shown left to right are: US Ambassador Beeman, Rt. Hon. Jim Bolger, Sir Edmund Hillary, Robert A. Wharton, Jr. (Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV), Andrew Fountain (Portland University, Portland, OR), Dale T. Andersen (SETI Institute, Mt. View, CA).

Dale Andersen’s 1996 Antarctic Field Research Photo Album Volume 5

by Keith CowingDecember 20, 1996April 13, 2024

Editor’s note: This is a revised version of the original website that was first posted – from Antarctica – in 1996.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Chris McKay’s Astrobiology Away Team In Antarctic Dry Valleys

by Keith CowingSeptember 26, 1996May 12, 2024

Dr. Chris McKay Deploying Environmental Monitoring Station in Colonized Sandstone, Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Sample Return, Status Report

The Antarctic Dry Valley Lakes: Relevance To Mars

by Keith CowingMarch 1, 1989June 13, 2026

The similarity of the early environments of Mars and Earth, and the biological evolution which occurred on early Earth, motivates exobiologists to seriously consider the possibility of an early Martian […]