Antarctic Environment Will Test Limits of Tractor and Crew
The 2014 Antarctica2 expedition to drive a tractor to the South Pole will have to deal with one of the most hostile environments on the planet, battling against temperatures down to minus 40 degrees C, strong winds, high altitude, raging...
Antarctic Environment Will Test Limits of Tractor and Crew
The 2014 Antarctica2 expedition to drive a tractor to the South Pole will have to deal with one of the most hostile environments on the planet, battling against temperatures down to minus 40 degrees C, strong winds, high altitude, raging...The 2014 Antarctica2 expedition to drive a tractor to the South Pole will have to deal with one of the most hostile environments on the planet, battling against temperatures down to minus 40 degrees C, strong winds, high altitude, raging blizzards and soft snow. Sastrugi (frozen waves) are another potential hazard.
Formed by wind erosion they are sharp-edged, wave-like ridges of hard-packed snow – often unstable and difficult to cross.
It is going to be a tough ride for the Massey Ferguson MF 5610 tractor and the multi-national team set to make the 5000 km return trip from Antarctica’s Novo Base to the Geographical South Pole. Both have undergone thorough preparation to tackle the challenges ahead. A key aspect of life on the ice is its unpredictability – the environment is no respecter of rigid plans or schedules. Hence, all timings relating to the journey have to be extremely fluid and subject to revision in accordance with weather conditions.
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