ABOUT THESE FILES

National Science Foundation
6 January 1995

Why would the National Science Foundation have files about Antarctica? The answer is online, keystrokes from here: "The Antarctic," said the President of the United States, "is the only continent where science serves as the principal expression of national policy and interest." See for yourself in "Facts About the U.S. Antarctic Program/ 6. U.S. Policy for Antarctica."

What kinds of people go there? Or, as one antarctican asks, "Who'd leave behind all that's comfortably known For a place without streetlights, police, or ozone?" Find out in " Antarctic People Poem by Jim `Thumper' Porter."

What's the maximum weight of people and cargo on a helicopter leaving McMurdo Station? You found the answer in "Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program."

You're stranded on the Ross Ice Shelf in a blizzard. You know how to make a snow shelter to keep yourself alive because you've read "Survival in Antarctica."

The international human population of Antarctica is not a mystery to you. You've downloaded the CIA's chapter on Antarctica from "The World Fact Book 1994."

You can discuss the research projects going on in Antarctica this year. You've got the "Science Program Plan 1994-1995."

The law against bothering wildlife and spilling waste in Antarctica is strict, but you'll avoid that $10,000 fine. You know the rules because you've read "The Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978."

You've studied the "U.S. Antarctic Program Personnel Manual." It's on your hard drive for reference. You know how to prepare for an antarctic trip, how to work at stations or camps, what to wear, and how to get your data and yourself home safely.

You are an antarctic expert! And it's partly because of "Live from Antarctica" and NASA's K-12 Internet system with its wealth of files including National Science Foundation Resources.