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Exploratorium Crew Dispatches


Observation Tube at the Penguin Ranch

PENGUIN RANCH, MCMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA-- (By Ron Hipschman) At the Penguin Ranch, the scientists not only observe the penguins above the ice, but also below the ice. They do this with the "observation tube". Anchored above a hole in the sea ice is a tube...



Static Scarf

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- (By Ron Hipschman) I met Mary and Lisa for breakfast and Mary is bending over looking at her scarf. Watch the video to find out what she sees...



Walkabout

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- (By Ron Hipschman) In this video I thought it might be interesting to give you a sense of McMurdo by taking you from our office in Crary Lab, where most of the polar scientists do their work, on a short journey outside...



Arriving on the Southernmost Continent

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- (By Ron Hipschman) Five hours after boarding our flight in Christchurch, New Zealand, the intrepid Exploratorium crew arrives on the southern-most continent. As soon as the aircraft door opens and we feel the chill of the polar air...



In the Cockpit

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA-- (By Mary Miller) My dad used to fly in Antarctica in the 1970s. In this video dispatch, I go up to the cockpit of the same type of plane as we fly above the icy continent...



Waylaid On Our Way to Antarctica

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND (EN ROUTE TO ANTARCTICA)-- The Exploratorium Ice Stories team of Mary Miller, Lisa Strong-Aufhauser and Ron Hipschman are cooling our jets in Christchurch, New Zealand, and itching to get to the ice. We’re treading the same ground as thousands of other Antarctic-bound souls...



Transportation in Support of Science: The LC-130 Hercules

SUMMIT CAMP, GREENLAND– (By Lisa Strong-Aufhauser) We, but even more so, I, spent a lot of time in LC-130 Hercules transport planes operated by the U.S. Air National Guard out of Stratton Air Force Base in New York...



Transportation in Support of Science: The Twin Otter

ILULISSAT, GREENLAND– (By Lisa Strong-Aufhauser) An aircraft we never did get to fly in while it was on its science mission was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter...



Transportation in Support of Science: Helicopters

ILULISSAT, GREENLAND-- (By Lisa Strong-Aufhauser) In a place as remote as Greenland, getting science done takes a lot of planning, logistics, and, let’s face it,…



Mosquitoes

ILULISSAT, GREENLAND-- (By Lisa Strong-Aufhauser) Mosquitoes are a fact of life in Greenland, so we quickly learned. I gave blood first in Kangerlussuaq. I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops...