The Antarctic Search for Meteorites

南极寻找陨石

• 批准号: 9980452
• 负责人: Ralph Harvey
• 金额: $ 41.79万
• 依托单位: Case Western Reserve University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9980452&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Antarctic; Search; Meteorites

9980452HarveyThis award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for continuation of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET). Since 1976, ANSMET has recovered more than 10,000 meteorite specimens from locations along the Transantarctic Mountains. This award supports continued recovery of Antarctic meteorites during six successive austral summer field seasons, starting with the 2000-2001 season and ending with the 2005-2006 season. Under this project, systematic searches for meteorite specimens will take place at previously discovered stranding surfaces, and reconnaissance work will be conducted to discover and explore the extent of new areas with meteorite concentrations. ANSMET recovery teams will deploy by air to locations in the deep field for periods of 5-7 weeks. While at the meteorite stranding surface, field team members will search the ice visually, traversing on foot or on snowmobile. Specimens will be collected under the most sterile conditions practical and samples will remain frozen until returned to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. At the JSC, initial characterization and sample distribution to all interested researchers takes place under the auspices of an interagency agreement between NSF, NASA, and the Smithsonian Institution.The impact of ANSMET has been substantial and this will continue under this award. The meteorites recovered by ANSMET are the best and most reliable source of new, non-microscopic extraterrestrial material, providing essential "ground-truth" concerning the materials that make up the asteroids, planets and other bodies of our solar system. The system for their characterization and distribution is unparalleled and their subsequent study has fundamentally changed our understanding of the solar system. ANSMET meteorites have helped researchers explore the conditions that were present in the nebula from which our solar system was born 4.556 billion years ago and provided samples of asteroids, ranging from primitive bodies unchanged since the formation of the solar system to complex, geologically active miniature planets. ANSMET samples proved, against the conventional wisdom, that some meteorites actually represent planetary materials, delivered to us from the Moon and Mars, completely changing our view of the geology of those bodies. ANSMET meteorites have even generated a new kind of inquiry into one of the most fundamental scientific questions possible; the question of biological activity in the universe as a whole. Over the past twenty years, ANSMET meteorites have economically provided a continuous and readily available supply of extraterrestrial materials for research, and should continue to do so in the future.

9980452哈维这个奖项，由极地计划办公室的南极地质和地球物理计划提供，为继续南极陨石搜索（ANSMET）提供资金。自1976年以来，ANSMET已经从沿着横贯南极山脉的地点恢复了10,000多个陨石标本。该奖项支持在从2000-2001赛季开始到2005-2006赛季结束的连续六个南极夏季野外赛季中继续回收南极陨石。在这一项目下，将在以前发现的搁浅表面上系统地搜寻陨石标本，并将进行侦察工作，以发现和探索新的陨石集中区的范围。ANSMET恢复小组将通过空中部署到偏远地区，为期5至7周。在陨石搁浅表面，实地考察小组成员将徒步或骑着雪地摩托车在冰面上搜寻。将在最无菌条件下采集样本，样本将保持冷冻状态，直至返回德克萨斯州休斯顿的约翰逊航天中心（JSC）。在JSC，最初的表征和样品分配给所有感兴趣的研究人员是在NSF，NASA和史密森学会之间的机构间协议的主持下进行的。ANSMET的影响是巨大的，这将在这个奖项下继续下去。ANSMET回收的陨石是新的、非微观的外星物质的最佳和最可靠的来源，提供了关于构成小行星、行星和太阳系其他天体的物质的基本“地面真相”。它们的特征和分布系统是无与伦比的，它们随后的研究从根本上改变了我们对太阳系的理解。ANSMET陨石帮助研究人员探索了45.56亿年前我们的太阳系诞生的星云中存在的条件，并提供了小行星的样本，从太阳系形成以来未发生变化的原始天体到复杂的，地质活跃的微型行星。ANSMET的样品证明，与传统观点相反，一些陨石实际上代表了从月球和火星运送到我们这里的行星材料，完全改变了我们对这些天体地质的看法。ANSMET陨石甚至引发了对一个可能的最基本的科学问题的一种新的探究;整个宇宙中的生物活动问题。在过去的二十年里，ANSMET陨石经济地提供了一个连续的和现成的外星材料的研究供应，并应继续这样做在未来。