Looking back at the trail as the expedition leaves the Trans- Antarctic Mountains on the last 300 miles to the South Pole. McMurdo Station to South Pole traverse

Ardo X. Meyer, traverse navigator and geomagnetic observer, celebrating at South Pole Station after completing traverse and two months on the ice cap. McMurdo Station to South Pole traverse

Statue of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott along the Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Photographer getting ready to set up for shot of Mount Erebus across sea ice.

Gerlache Strait on the Antarctic Peninsula. 64 30 S Latitude 62 20 W Longitude.

The Ross Ice Shelf at the Bay of Whales - the point where Amundsen staged his successful assault on the South Pole. 78 30 S Latitude 164 20W Longitude.

Littleton Harbor near Christchurch, New Zealand. The home port of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER, the NSF research icebreaker.

A bow shot of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER set in the ice.

Waves breaking as seen from a porthole on the 0-1 Deck of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER. Crossing the Southern Ocean.

Helicopter resupply of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER. Supplies being ferried from McMurdo Station.

Helicopter resupply of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER. Supplies being ferried from McMurdo Station.

Map of Antarctica - early Twentieth Century map from the National Geographic Society. Shows track of Admiral Richard Byrd's flight track to the South Pole.

Shaded relief map of Antarctica developed from RADARSAT Synthetic Aperture Radar data. RADARSAT is a Canadian satellite.

McMurdo Station from Observation Hill.

Sir Raymond Priestly after spending nine months in a snow cave at Terra Nova Bay in Victoria Land, Antarctica.

Water color by Edward Wilson of seal. Wilson was a member of the ill-fated Robert Falcon Scott expedition.

Water color by Edward Wilson of leopard seal pursuing penguins. Wilson was a member of the ill-fated Robert Falcon Scott expedition.

Personnel basket putting people out on the ice for sample collection from the NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

Assorted diatoms living between crystals of annual sea ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Image digitized from original 35mm Ektachrome slide (1983).

Graphic of Antarctic Ozone Hole for two dates in September 1998.

Sunset over sea ice at the marginal ice zone as NATHANIEL B. PALMER headed south.

Antarctic sea ice cover in February 1998 and September 1998. Graphic derived special sensor Microwave Imager satellite data.

NATHANIEL B. PALMER cutting through thin ice.

Pancake ice as seen from the bridge of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER. Largest pancake is approximately four feet across.

Small ice floes in open water as seen from the bridge of the NATHANIEL B. PALMER. Ice is melting at time of this picture.

Fast ice (attached to land) in McMurdo Sound. 77 30 S Latitude 165 E Longitude.

A zodiac boat departing the NATHANIEL B. PALMER to collect ice samples for biological studies.

Personnel basket putting people out on the ice for sample collection from the NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

Collecting ice cores to collect biological samples.

Net trawl for benthic (bottom-dwelling) biota.

Spoils of net trawl. Numerous holothurians (sea cucumbers) and other marine life on deck.

A new species of snail fish discovered by Joe Eastman.

Antarctic sushi party!

Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) rosette and water sample bottles being deployed from "Baltic Room" on the NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

Drawing a water sample from Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) rosette water sample bottles.

Scientist conducting phytoplankton taxonomy research.

Preparing an Interocean Current Meter in the Ross Sea for deployment from a fixed mooring.

Preparing a mid-water sediment trap for deployment in the Ross Sea. For collecting biological particles as they fall to the sea floor.

Preparing to deploy mooring floats for current and sediment studies from the NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

Ringing in the New Year with the drop of a mooring anchor at 00:00:00 on January 1, 1997.

Recovering a box core with a bottom sample for biological studies.

Science is hard work!

Antarctic beach party. Football, frisbee, and baseball below the Antarctic Circle.

Antarctic beach party and barbecue.

Grounded tabular iceberg at Cape Washington, Victoria Land.

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer image of Ross Ice Shelf.

Edge of the Ross Ice Shelf as seen by the NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

Edge of the Ross Ice Shelf as seen by the NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

The Ross Ice Shelf at the Bay of Whales - the point where Amundsen staged his successful assault on the South Pole. 78 30 S Latitude 164 20W Longitude.

The Ross Ice Shelf at the Bay of Whales - the point where Amundsen staged his successful assault on the South Pole. 78 30 S Latitude 164 20W Longitude.