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: 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

Keith’s note: Today’s overland traverse from Ultima air strip, southward, to Lake Untersee, was done by snowmobiles pulling sledges packed with gear and supplies. Dale has been doing research in the region around Lake Untersee for many years. As such they have worked out a standard path around terrain that they follow more or less – with weather altering the course slightly from one trip to another. Update: Dale Andersen and his team are now at Lake Untersee, at S 71.260082° E 13.506017° elevation of 2,645 ft. More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 11 January 2026: Overland Traverse To Lake Untersee

“One real improvement this season is that we now have a dedicated place to stage everything at the Ultima airbase: a new WeatherPort hut (about 30 × 30 × 13 ft). For the first time we will be able to keep all of our gear in one spot, including the snowmobiles and the ATV, instead of chasing equipment across multiple caches. Just as important, it gives us a sheltered workspace when we need to lay things out, troubleshoot, or do maintenance without fighting the wind and drifting snow.” More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 9 January 2026: Building Our New Storage Facility

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen is heading back in Antarctica at Lake Untersee in January-February 2026 for another field season of research. After a 5-6 hr flight from Cape Town, South Africa, Dale and his team will land at the Novolazarevskaya Station ice-runway in Antarctica. They will unpack, gather their stored gear, and prepare for the overland traverse to their research camp at Lake Untersee in a few days. Update and photos here.

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen is back in Antarctica – and Lake Untersee – for another field season of Astrobiology research. Dale’s work is coordinated through the SETI Institute. We’ll be posting his updates here as has been the case since the 1990s. You can find an archive of the reports here. The latest reports:

• Permafrost And Ground-ice Conditions in the Untersee Oasis, Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica (Paper)
• 14 December 2024: Departing Novo Station
• 11 December 2024: Back at Novo Station
• 20 November 2024: Live From Antarctica (webcast)
• 14 November 2024: The Plumes of Enceladus
• 5 November 2024: Evening In Antarctica (video and large panorama)
• 3 November 2024: Preparing For Science Diving (with video)
• 1 November 2024: Drilling Dive Holes Through The Ice
• 29 October 2024: Base Camp Structures
• 25 October 2024: Setting Up Base Camp (with pics and video)
• 23 October 2024: Preparing For The Traverse
• 20 October 2024: Arrival at Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctica
• 2024 Preview: Dale Andersen’s Field Report: Preview: 2024 Lake Untersee Field Season
• That Time Star Trek Tents Were Actually Used In Antarctica

Another view of 2 female: 11 male gender ratio of @SETIInstitute board of trustees https://t.co/5zOE82BVK5 #SETI pic.twitter.com/uL1BcacArV — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) July 27, 2016

Pluto, we have a problem: Some geographical names may not fly on official maps, GeekWire “Some of the best-known names on Pluto ranging from the Sputnik plains to the Hillary and Norgay mountains and the dark Cthulhu Regio may never appear on the International Astronomical Union’s maps, due to a tiff over terminology. Those are just a few of the informal names that have raised questions from members of the […]

Hearing charter “The purpose of the hearing is to review the recent discovery of three super-Earth sized planets by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Kepler space telescope. The hearing will also assess the state of exoplanet surveying, characterization, and research; NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program; National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Astronomical Science; as well as coordination within the government and with external partners. NASA and NSF both contribute […]

Vulcan Tops Online Voting to Name Pluto’s Moons’, PC Magazine “Vulcan was the only candidate in the contest run by the SETI Institute to top 100,000 votes, garnering 174,062 votes out of about half a million cast in online voting that ended Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern. “Cerberus” was the other winning name with 99,432 votes, according to the Los Angeles Times.” William Shatner’s Campaign to Name One of Pluto’s […]