In our model of things, the universe is mainly nothing: an infinite empty space, populated here and there with density nodes of all sizes, from the immeasurably minute, relative to us, to the unimaginably gigantic, relative to us. We seem to be driven to study the universe, and, since the study of nothingness so far has been without profit (except, possibly, to philosophers), we study the density nodes. One aspect of this is the study of meteorites. To study meteorites we must collect examples. To collect examples we have gone to Antarctica.

We have made a good beginning. As of this date (Spring, 2002), there are around 30 000 antarctic meteorite specimens in the combined collections of the US, Japan and Europe. A large fraction of them have not yet been characterized; this is why the Catalogue of Meteorites (5th edition) lists only 17 808. If my guess is correct that the antarctic collection averages 10 specimens per fall, 30 000 specimens represents 3000 falls. This compares to around 1000 observed falls in museum collections from the rest of the world. If meteorite finds (3700) are added in, the world's museums have 4700.

Counting the team that has recently returned from the field (austral summer, 2001–02), 25 field expeditions have been moun-ted by the ANSMET project alone. Since 1977, laboratory space and personnel at the Johnson Space Center have been dedicated to initial processing of the recovered materials and distribution to interested scientists around the world.