Join TravelQuest
Internationalon a rare travel experience, as we journey to the
geographic South Pole, January 6-16, 2006. Boarding our chartered transport
jet from the southern tip of Chile, we will fly deep into the heart of
Antarctica, the most remote and remarkable destination on Earth.
As we fly over Drake Passage and enter the Antarctic Circle, we will see
below us icebergs and the vast ice shelves of this amazing continent. Our
flight will also take us over the
spectacular
Ellsworth Mountains and VinsonMassif,
Antarctica’s highest peak, before arriving at Patriot Hills base camp,
at 81° south latitude, approximately 825 nautical miles inside the
Antarctic Circle. Established in 1987, Patriot Hills is the only private
camp in Antarctica and will serve as our home base for the duration of
our stay.
From our base camp,
we will fly to 90° south latitude in 7-passenger Twin-Otter aircraft. At
the South Pole, we will visit the ceremonial and geographic poles, tour
the new South Pole Station, and we have also arranged to set up camp
and spend a night at 90° south! To complete our historic expedition,
our return journey will include a stop at the Patuxent Range, a good
resource for meteorite recovery and investigations. Over 20,000
meteorites, including whole specimens and fragments, have been recovered
from Antarctica. Most of these meteorites are found in regions of blue
ice, free of snow at mountain bases. It is believed that these
meteorites fall all over Antarctica (as all over the world), then are
moved in snow drifts, being stopped at mountain bases with the wind
removing the snow and exposing the meteorites.
Joining us on our
expedition will be astronomer Richard Tresch Fienberg,editor in chief of Sky & Telescope magazine. Rick has
traveled the worldvisiting mountaintop
observatories, chasing total solar eclipses, andmeeting with professional and amateur astronomers. He'll make
two specialpresentations to our group:
one explaining Antarctica's important role inadvancing the science of meteorites and another describing
the cutting-edgeresearch being done at
the South Pole's astronomical observatories.
Over the last 100
years, this harsh continent has attracted explorers, adventurers, and
scientists, all sharing a dream to visit the “Last Frontier”, a land of
incredible beauty and irresistible mystery. Don’t let this rare
opportunity pass you by. Space on this expedition is limited to
just 6 members. Be a part of history.
Contact TravelQuest to make your
reservation today!
Copyright 2005 TravelQuest International. All rights reserved. 800-830-1998 Revised:
January 20, 2006. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or trademark holders.
