Academician Fedorov research and expedition vessel has moored to the berth of Kanonersky Shiprepairer, St. Petersburg, ending the the 52nd Russia’s Antarctic Expedition.

Academician Fedorov had 169 people on board, including 61 participants of the 51st wintering expedition, 52 participants of the 52nd seasonal expedition and 66 crew members.

The ship put out for the Antarctic voyage from St. Petersburg on November 3, 2006. The voyage lasted for 180 days, during which Academician Fedorov covered 34,090 sea miles - 11,090 miles in the Antarctic water and 2,540 miles in drift and shore ice. Representatives of 20 research, educational and production organizations, including Russia’s Meteorological Service, Education and Science Ministry, Transport Ministry, Agriculture Ministry and Russian Science Academy, took part in the expedition.

In time of the voyage, the researchers monitored environment of the Antarctic, ranging from near space to the Earth crust, collected new data on changes in Antarctic climate, behavior of ozone hole.

The International Polar Year that is a large scientific program focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic was officially launched on March 1, 2007 to continue till March 2009. Five Antarctic stations of Russia are involved in the project.

News source: kommersant.com
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