Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is back from the first of two Astrobiology expeditions to Lake Untersee, Antarctica in 2026. This excerpt and photo captures the awesome beauty that accompanies forays into potentially dangerous locations as we advance science via exploration. A preview of coming attractions on Artemis II. “Just beneath Untersee’s ice, my tether runs ahead toward the distant glimmer of the dive hole, the only passage back from the blue and solitary world below. As I swim, I hear the measured rhythm of my own breathing and, now and then, the voices of colleagues on the surface carried through a thin, yellow line into the earpieces of my Kirby Morgan Exo-26 full-face mask. They ask for an update, reminding me to check my air pressure. A glance at my air-integrated dive computer, a few quick words in reply, and all is well. Soon, after a brief three-minute safety stop beneath the dive hole, I will return to the surface through the three and half meters (about twelve feet) of ice.” Full Report

“A partial eclipse over Lake Untersee yesterday — an ordinary piece of celestial clockwork that felt anything but ordinary from the icy shores of Lake Untersee in the mountains of Antarctica. Eclipses come around often enough; being in the right place, at the right moment, to watch the Sun take a quiet bite out of itself is the rarer gift!” More

Keith’s note: I just got a long update from Astrobiologist Dale Andersen at Lake Untersee, Antarctica about his ongoing Astrobiology field research. Someday soon we’ll get reports like this from the south pole of the Moon – and then Mars – and beyond: : “Keith, Sorry for the quiet—our days have been packed, and out here every usable hour feels borrowed. Since my last report the weather has changed its mind a few times. The snowstorm I mentioned in my last note covered the lake with a few inches of snow for about a week, with steady drifting around our camp. It slowed us down, but did not stop us and we still managed plenty of work in the margins between squalls. A few days have been outright gusty—50 mph or more—never ideal when you are trying to handle gear with cold hands, and definitely noisy when you are trying to sleep. The bright side is that we have not been hit by anything truly serious (100+ mph winds like we’ve experienced in previous seasons), so by Untersee standards we have been lucky. Most of the snow on the lake has now blown clear and we hare back to hard ice.” Full report with pictures and videos.

Keith’s note: On 11 February 2026 NOVA PBS Host / NewsHour reporter Miles O’Brien conducted a live broadcast from a ship in the southern ocean around Antarctica where Thwaites glacier aka the “Doomsday Glacier” is melting at an alarming rate. In this broadcast Miles spoke first with Peter Davis from the British Antarctic Survey and then with David Holland from New York University. At 23:55 in this video Miles asked Peter Davis an Astrobiology-related question regarding Europa, and Enceladus that I posed via the online chat. Full transcript

“We’ve had a productive few days since I last checked in. Yesterday and today we worked on the eastern slopes adjacent to the Anuchin Glacier. We drilled a couple of holes in the lake – one to start a dive hole, the other to deploy a dissolved oxygen sensor that will track changes during freeze-up beneath the ice. But today marks another shift in the weather pattern.” More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 1 February 2026: Drilling Diving Holes

Keith’s note: Dale Andersen’s research team continues their astrobiology research at Lake Untersee, Antarctica: “Today, the sun made a welcome return and although the wind stayed brisk through much of the day, conditions were stable enough for us to get some solid work done. We collected glacial ice, took air samples for environmental DNA, and began melting out the instruments we deployed in the lake last season – those measuring dissolved oxygen and light.” More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 21 January 2026: Lake Untersee Base Camp Weather

Keith’s note: On this day in 1908 Ernest Shackleton and the British Antarctic Expedition arrived at The Bay of Whales in Antarctica. In a few years NASA will be landing another polar expedition at the Moon’s south pole near a crater named “Shackleton”. Its called history folks.

Dale Andersen: “We just completed the camp last night, and today a storm will move in with 50 mph winds (more?) and perhaps some snow. Should provide a quick test of our handiwork! The layout is organized to maximize protection for the various tents. We positioned the sea-container to block the major winds out of the SE, so the central camp sits in its lee.” (Keith’s note: the tents may look familiar – they are made by the same company that provided them to “Star Trek Strange New World”) More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 18 January 2026: Lake Untersee Base Camp Is Operational

Keith’s Note: Live from Antarctica: Why the Ice Matters Join Miles O’Brien on Thursday 15 Jan at 12:00 PM EST for a real-time conversation from the bottom of the world—about science, exploration, and why Antarctica matters to all of us. Link https://youtu.be/LIdharrlzbM

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen and his research team are settling in at their base camp on the shore of Lake Untersee, Antarctica. How they go about this expedition is a preview of how we’ll be doing science on the Moon, Mars – and beyond. More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 14 January 2026: Setting Up Base Camp At lake Untersee