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Xuelong set for trip to South Pole
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CHINA’S icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon will leave Shanghai tomorrow for its 32nd expedition to the South Pole, officials from the Polar Research Institute of China said yesterday.
A team of 277 scientists, technicians and support staff will take part in the 159-day mission, the primary goal of which is to decide on a location for China’s fifth Antarctic research station.
According to Sun Bo, deputy director of the expeditionary team, experts involved with missions staged over the past three years have already evaluated a number of possible sites in Victoria Land, close to the Ross Sea, and a final decision will be made this time around.
The selection will be based on the results of comprehensive mapping, and ecological and environmental evaluations, he said.
The new outpost will complement the four stations China already operates in the South Pole, namely Changcheng, Zhongshan, Kunlun and Taishan.
The team will also conduct various research projects while in the Antarctic, including deep ice core drilling to a depth of 450 meters as part of a study into the climate history of the planet’s southernmost point.
China’s first fixed-wing aircraft for polar research will make its maiden flight during the voyage, Sun said.
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