On April 23, 2007, 5.45 pm, the plane with MVK expedition has landed at Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen, Norway)

On April 23, 2007, 5.45 pm, the plane with MVK expedition has landed at Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen, Norway), - reported Alexey Shaburov, the author of the project “North Pole – new opportunities in life and business”. The team is on the way to Barneo on board the transport plane AN-74. All the flight participants were astonished by the fabulous professionalism of the pilots who did their best to secure soft landing.

Longyearbyen welcomed the new-made travelers with warm weather – only 6 minus centigrade, low cloud, fog and the snow whelmed mountains. Some travelers even saw the seals from the board of the plane.

Five hours flight from Moscow to Longyearbyen has glided unnoticeable. “We even didn’t loose feeling in our hands and legs, but the most important – we kept our minds fresh”, - cheerfully said Sergey Muench Director General of MVK Messen, GmbH in his telephone call from the North Pole. “Here we lack oxygen but enjoy freedom”, - noted Mr. Muench.

The author of the project Alexey Shaburov jolly stated: “We’ve started to write the log-book. The atmosphere is friendly and the team has fully formed. With this team we will surely conquer the North, we are equal to any heroic deeds!”.

The whole team agreed that should a big company gather in a small place, on AN-74 for example, and you start to realize how miserly a man is and how endless and immeasured the Arctic is.

At the Longyearbyen airport the newly made polar explorers received the special warm polar cloths and shoes. At around 7 pm according to Moscow time the expedition has flown off to Barneo.

At 10 pm approximately the plane with the project “North Pole – new opportunities in life and business” will land at the ice landing field of Barneo drifting station. Note that the ice depth here is very small – only 60 cm.

*** We remind that on April 23 the MVK expedition has flown to the Pole. Their goal is to open at the “zero” point the First in the world exhibition at the North Pole which is dedicated to the first polar expedition headed by Ivan Papanin and to the legendary flights of Valery Chkalov and Michail Gromov through the North Pole. The expedition numbers 25 people. It is pleasant that one of the best cellists of the world, M. Rostropovich fund fellow Denis Shapovalov will play at the North Pole in honor of the expedition.

The expedition flies on board of AN-74 following the route Moscow – Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen, Norway) – ice drifting station Barneo. The flags of Russia and MVK will fly over the Pole and the two tens will be constructed – the first is the model of Papanin’s tent and the second is tent of the Russian Federation flag colors. The polar explorers are going to pass the night at Barneo and after that they will come back to Moscow by the same route. The expedition is expected to land in Moscow on April 25 at 2.30 am.

Opening of the Museum at the North Pole is considered a start for opening of the historical-patriotic museum “Role of HISTORY in life and business”. After its opening the museum is going to be exhibited in Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg and Rostov-on-Don. Over a million of people have a chance to visit it. For reference, all museums that gave its exponents for the project, are together visited by not more than 60,000 people per year. The Museum presents household amenities, personal chattels of the polar explorers, 150 rare photos, unique documentary films and archive documents. The materials were kindly provided by: Museum n.a. I.D. Papanin (Yaroslavl region), Memorial museum of V.P. Chkalov (Ulianovsk region), Murmansk regional museum of local lore, History and economy, The Arctic and Antarctic research institute, Russian State Arctic and Antarctic museum (St.Petersburg), Central Museum of the Air Force of the Russian Federation, Roman Karmen regional public fund of non-fiction cinema support, Krasnogorsk State Archive, as well as the Polar explorers association, veteran-polar explorers and Metelitsa team of women expeditions.

During their meeting the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on matters of the International polar year, Artur Chilingarov and the Author of the project Alexey Shaburov have discussed the issues of entering the exhibition at the North Pole into the programme of the International polar year. The project is realized jointly with the Polar explorers association.