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Frank Pattyn is a Glaciologist and Ice Sheet Modeler at the Glaciological Laboratory of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Université Libre de Bruxelles). Travelling to Antarctica for the seventh time, he will be heading the BELISSIMA (BELgian Ice Sheet-Shelf Ice Measurements in Antarctica) project with colleague Jean-Louis Tison.

Having returned from their field campaign in the Sør Rondanes, the team of the Japanese JARE 51 expedition, along with Steven Goderis from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, is able to reflect on a successful meteorite exploration. With the largest sample weighing over 5 kilograms, the team is delighted with the discovery of some extraordinary examples.They have been greeted at Utsteinen by Alain Hubert, who provided both warm welcome and celebratory drink to the success of the 2009-2010 campaign, during which they gratefully received the full support of the BELARE team.

The last containers carrying the last missing parts of the station such as the walls or the ceilings or some other technical part such as the bioreactors or the cabinets are slowly arriving in Utsteinen from the coast.

Guests who arrived to attend the inauguration of the Princess Elisabeth station were welcomed by the shining sun. With such nice weather, the inauguration ceremony was moved from 6:00 P.M. to 1:00 p.m. After a short speech and an inaugural ceremony, the guests proceeded to take a tour of the station

After the successful offloading of the Mary Arctica and the Shirase at Crown Bay, the Belgo-Japanese expedition departed on its traverse. Within the framework of the collaboration with JARE 51 (Japanese Antarctic Research), the Belgian BELARE team provided the Japanese expedition with logistical support.During the traverse, the convoy faced white-out conditions and large crevasse zones, before passing by the former Japanese Asuka Station that was abandoned in 1991. This return to the past was a very emotional moment for those like Professor Tsushiya Noriyoshi, leader the JARE 51 expedition, who knew the base while it was still in use.On January 2nd, the convoy finally reached the research site of the Japanese team at Balchenfjella Glacier, where the Belgians left a Prinoth with a driver and a mechanic to help with moving material.

This short film travels back in time to the first Princess Elisabeth construction phase of 2007-2008. Find out what the conditions were like at the Utsteinen base camp and see how innovative one can get when left with the bare minimum.

Shortly after they arrived at Utsteinen, Alain Hubert and a few other members of the BELARE 2008-09 expedition left on a reconnaissance mission in the Mounts Belgica. The first objective of this mission was to evaluate the various access routes and sites of general interest. But it was also a bit in memory of their predecessors that some of the BELARE expedition team members decided to visit this mountain range.

The station has been closed and is entirely insulated. The room dividers have now been added, suggesting the time has come to offer a tour of the inside of the station. From the garages up to the roof, you will visit the hallway, the future living areas and the scientific laboratories.

The Mary Arctica, successor of the Ivan Papanin, has arrived at Crown Bay on December 25th, 2009 after nine days at sea. The BELARE 2009-2010 team went down there to help the ship soft deck and start the offloading of 15 containers (more than 90 tons of material in total).The offloading happened without any problem or injury in less than 24 hours thanks to an extremely motivated team. Waste containers were then loaded on board before the ship got back on its way.