Polar Magic

Astronaut Don Pettit takes to the ice in search for space rocks

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Astronaut Don Pettit (Photo: Courtesy NASA)

NASA astronaut Don Pettit is moving his Saturday morning science experiments from outer space to the ice fields of Antarctica this winter.

Pettit became an interstellar hit performing fun space tricks onboard the International Space Station in 2003. During a span of six months, Pettit inspired the world with zero-gravity activities he called "Saturday Morning Science."

"Saturday Morning Science" got its name because Pettit worked most of his magic during his spare time on Saturday mornings. His stunts ranged from spinning giant blobs of water to plucking drops of tea from midair—using nothing more than a pair of chopsticks!

Back on Earth, the astronaut is unveiling the second act of his magic show—in an icy world not unlike outer space.

"We're on a bit of an adventure. I've joined a scientific expedition to Antarctica to hunt for meteorites,” says Pettit.

The name of this scientific trek is ANSMET, which stands for Antarctic Search for Meteorites. The group reached the ice fields of Antarctica's Grosvenor Mountains in December. They'll camp there for six weeks—plenty of time for discovery.

Here in the icy cold, four years after his work in space, Pettit will serve up a new batch of experiments. He calls this next round “Saturday Morning Science on Ice.” Pettit plans to conduct experiments when confined to his Antarctic tent during bad weather.

“I have a microscope, a centrifuge, cameras, and other gear for all kinds of scientific investigations,” Pettit says.

The ANSMET team on December 7, 2006.

One trick will be to capture and photograph snowflakes to study their structure. He'll use his centrifuge to separate space dust from melted ice.

ANSMET has been making annual trips to Antarctica since the mid-1970s. “The scientific value is immense,” Pettit said of the expeditions. “More than 10,000 meteorites have been found, including such jewels as the famous Allan Hills meteorite from Mars.”

Pettit is the only astronaut on the trip.

“When my boss asked me if I wanted to go, I thought about it for perhaps a nanosecond and said yes!" he said.

Why Antarctica?

Meteorites fall randomly all over the globe. There are not more of them in Antarctica than anywhere else—it is just an easy place to find them.

The continent is an immense white and blue sheet of ice—the perfect spot for scientists to hunt for objects falling from the sky. Out on this expanse of ice, any rock found is sure to have fallen from outer space.

As the ANSMET team looks for chunks of extraterrestrial debris, you should be on the look out for more science tricks from Pettit. You can follow the ANSMET team’s progress online.

 

 

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