Dive of Mir-1 and Mir-2 in the Arctic ocean
Photo: Aleksej Nagaev ©
Today at 9.30 am the first deep water manned bathyscaphe MIR-1 was hoisted out into the Arctic ocean. The Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on issues of the Third International Polar Year, Arthur Chilingarov remarked this event to have been of great geopolitical and scientific value. The crew of MIR-1: Arthur Chilingarov, pilot Anatoliy Sagalevich and deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vladimir Gruzdev.
30 minutes after the MIR-1 reached 300 meters depth the second bathyscaphe MIR-2 was set afloat. Onboard the MIR-2 were pilot Evgeny Chernyaev, Australian Michael McDowell and Frederic Paulsen, Chairman of the Ferring International Center. The deep water manned vehicles are going to reach the Arctic ocean floor at the depth of 4,200 meters and set the Russian flag at the North Pole point. They are also to test the soil and fauna that will allow the exploration of life in this inaccessible point of the Earth, and as scientists hope will help to clarify the boundaries of the Russian shelf in the area extending from the New Siberian Islands to the North Pole.
The crews have water, sandwiches and tea on board; oxygen supply stored in the capsule for 72 hours and the energy supply storage almost twice as much. To ensure the operation under the Arctic sub-zero temperatures the construction of the deep-sea manned submersibles have met innovations: the use of antifreeze in the ballasting system and hydraulic; sonar beacons installed on the ice at four points forming a square, instead of the ocean floor; additional electric motors that could be used as a backup in case of hydraulic equipment failure.
Natalia Yurchenko by phone
Press secretary of Director General of MVK International Exhibition Holding
Akademik Fedorov research ship, the Arctic Ocean, the North Pole
*** We remind readers that on July 10th, Akademik Fedorov – the flagman of the Russian scientific-polar fleet – departed the port of St. Petersburg for the Arktika’2007 expedition. During the first stage of the voyage the scientists will realize an unprecedented High-latitude deep water arctic expedition.
MVK International Exhibition Holding is a media partner of the Arctic’2007expedition. The MVK’ expedition goal is the development of the Polar Museum exhibition, which was for the first time ever opened in the North Pole. The North Pole: New Opportunities in Life and Business project is led by Alexey Shaburov. He remarked: “We clearly see the significance of this event for the country, for the development and exploration of the polar regions. We have created a museum dedicated to Papanintsy. Our mission today is to keep on through generations the history and the feat of modern heroes-polar explorers.”