ANSMET: The Antarctic Search for Meteorites

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This project continues support for ANSMET--the Antarctic Search for Meteorites. Begun in 1975, ANSMET's objective is collection of meteorites in Antarctica for study by the international scientific community. Collections are performed on various Antarctic ice sheets by volunteers on snow machines during the southern hemisphere summer. The program has collected many thousands of meteorites, including particularly unique specimens from Mars and the Moon. Meteorites are collected with support of NSF's US Antarctic Program, sorted and distributed at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and characterized and stored at the Smithsonian Institution. Samples are available to scientists from all countries, and the ANSMET collection is widely regarded as the single most important collection of research meteorites in the world. Their study continues to offer key insights into many terrestrial and extraterrestrial questions, including the formation of the earth and the potential for life on other worlds.