Dr Hannah Kessenich and Dr James Brundell travelled to Scott Base on 9 February 2026. They made up Space Physics Expedition 17 to Antarctica. This year they went south in a USAF MAC C-17 Globemaster III. This was James’ 16th trip to Antarctica, and Hannah’s first.
Hannah provided some events and observations from the trip:
- The sea ice levels were very low this year, so the amount of wildlife around base was higher than usual. The orcas were coming in right next to the base shore, and a group of Adélie penguins even came up onto the trail by the Long-Term Science Building
- James and Hannah completed a 16km adventure run. They went to Hut Point Ridge, McMurdo dining hall, Observation Hill, then Observation Loop. On their way back to the base, they watched an epic battle between a pod of orcas and a seal on a block of ice (the orcas won)
- Hannah visited Discovery Hut, which she described as “very smelly”. She also gave a talk about her ozone hole research at the Tatty Flag bar
- They had one bad weather day (possibly reaching Con 1), which delayed their work at Arrival Heights. They started a puzzle to pass the time during the bad weather. Luckily, they were able to make it up the next day (thanks to some great driving through snowy roads by the Science Tech, Louise) to wrap up their work.
Above: This photo shows Hannah and James on top of Castle Rock during their overnight Antarctic Field Training (AFT) all-day session. Mt Erebus dominates the background.
Below: photos and videos from James and Hannah’s trip
