Contractual Employee Dies at NSF's Palmer Station

National Science Foundation
Office of Polar Programs
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230

Posted October 24, 2018

Image: Marissa Goerke/ NSF

An employee for a subcontractor to the National Science Foundation's Antarctic logistics contractor has died of natural causes at Palmer Station, Antarctica. The death occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. Chile Summer Time (CLST) on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

The employee's next of kin have been notified. NSF is not releasing any medical or personal information on the deceased.

The U.S. Embassy Santiago has been informed of the situation. Palmer Station is on the Antarctic Peninsula, south of Chile.

The individual's body will remain at Palmer Station until the research vessel Laurence M. Gould arrives on site in approximately a day. The vessel is already en route to the station. The Gould is home-ported in Punta Arenas, Chile, and shuttles researchers and support personnel to Palmer Station, which is generally a four-day passage.

Out of respect for the family of the deceased, the ship's return date is not being released.

"All of us in the U.S. Antarctic Program are saddened by this tragic news," said Kelly K. Falkner, head of NSF's Office of Polar Programs. "Our thoughts are with family and friends and colleagues. We appreciate the decades of service this individual contributed to the program."