Thursday, 11 November 2010 10:04
The new vessel will be called after the legendary polar explorer Academician Trioshnikov. Back in the 1950s he was the chief of the drifting ice station North Pole-3, in the Arctic, and then went on a number of expeditions to the Antarctic. The Voice of Russia has asked the Director of the Institute for the Arctic and Antarctic Studies with the Hydrometeorolgy and Environmental Monitoring Agency Ivan Frolov to comment on the ship, named after Alexei Trioshnikov, and this is what he said.
The vessel, Ivan Frolov says, will measure more than 100 metres in length; its deadweight is 17,000 tons, while the power plant develops 16,000 HP. The explorer ship will boast two helicopter pads, several holds and laboratories. It will take polar researchers, as well as all cargo required to the Antarctic and will subsequently bring them back. The equipment, specifically lab equipment, will certainly prove up to date.
The new vessel is due to leave on its maiden voyage following long-duration tests. Meanwhile Russian explorers will continue using the Polar Fleet's veteran flagship The Academician Fyodorov to get to the Antarctic. The next, 56th, Antarctic expedition, is due to get under way on November 9th.
The research vessel will carry 70 crewmembers and 110 explorers. Once they reach their destination, the members of the 56th expedition will concentrate on hydro- biological research into living organisms in the coastal waters of King George Island, and will use some scuba diving equipment in the process. Also, a second automated centre for differential changing the parameters of the Russian-made GLONASS navigation system satellite orbits is due to be mounted and put into operation at the Novolazarevskaya research station in the Antarctic. The expedition will use the onboard-based multibeam echosounder to make hydrographic measurements on the way to the Antarctic stations. The Academician Alexander Karpinsky research vessel is due to join the expedition in late December to carry out geophysical research into the structure of the eastern part of the Weddell Sea. Their colleagues, namely geologists and geophysicists will go ahead with research into the entrails of the Prince Charles Mountains and Mac Robertson Land.
The expedition will also drill through the last 100 metres of ice in a deep borehole above the unique Vostok sub-glacial lake. It is quite possible that early next year the drilling tool will finally penetrate the relic waters of Lake Vostok, which is hidden under the Antarctic's four kilometre thick ice. It is a unique water ecosystem that's been isolated from the Earth's atmosphere and the surface biosphere for millions of years. Exploration of the borehole ice core and the forthcoming exploration of the lake proper will prove enormously important in reconstructing a scenario for natural climate change in the next few millennia.
Once all the planned exploratory work is done by May 2011, the members of the 56th expedition will return to St. Petersburg.
That was a report on launching a new research vessel to help Russian explorers proceed with their research of the Antarctic.