RAS Public Lecture: Space rocks on ice: Hunting for meteorites in A ntarctica

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Space rocks on ice: Hunting for meteorites in AntarcticaProfessor Sara Russell (Natural History Museum)(Venue: Geological Society Lecture Theatre - no booking required) Meteorites shed light on the origin of the Solar System and on the geological history of different planetary bodies. Antarctica is unique collection ground for meteorites – it very cold so preserves them well, the black meteorites are easy to spot against the white ice, and meteorites samples are often concentrated together on the ice along the Transantarctic mountain range. I will outline my experience in travelling to collect meteorites with the US Antarctic Search for Meteorites Programme, and talk about the scientific reasons we go and collect these stones from space. Daytime Lecture speaker: Professor Sara Russell, Head of the Division of Mineral and Planetary Sciences and a researcher in meteoritics and early solar system processes. Sara is a Council Member of the Royal Astronomical Society, and a Science Team Member of the NASA Osiris Rex Mission.