Where wise men dare not tread: Belgium in Antarctica (1957 - 1970)

The Belgian research in Antarctica between 1957 and 1970 is reviewed. The efforts to convince the authorities to participate in the "International Geophysical Year" with an Antarctic programme started much earlier. These efforts were crowned with success when Gaston de Gerlache and his team built King Baudouin Station on a small ice shelf in Dronning Maud Land, one of the last blank places on the maps. The station remained operational for three years and was a valuable link in the network of geophysical observatories covering the southern continent. It also served as a staging post for geograp... Mehr ...