vessel. Dr. Christian Salewski, archivist at the archives for German polar research based at the Alfred Wegener Institute, has compiled this and other milestones of the over 30-year history of Polarstern. [...] polar researchers, safely returning them to a now unified Germany. Georg Forster Station (Photo: Alfred-Wegener-Institut) Operations 1990-1999 1990 - The ship picks up the crew of the GDR research station [...] the southern hemisphere for a year and half. 2012 - 30th anniversary of RV Polarstern (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institut) Operations 2011-2015 03.10.2011 – RV Polarstern returns from the “Trans-Arctic Survey