MVK expedition has fulfilled its tasks and now it is coming back
The plane with MVK expedition departed from Barneo station to Longierbyuen (Spitsbergin, Norway) at 3.30 pm Moscow time. Time for landing in Longierbyuen is 6 pm. Getting into the plane and flight to Moscow is going to take place in one hour. Arrival of our expedition in Moscow, Vnukovo airport is expected on April 25 at 2.30 am.
Phone call from Barneo at 11 am. “The North Pole is something incredible!”, - says the author of the project Alexey Shaburov, full of excitement, - “The energy of this place is so powerful. It seems to me that world balance will be changed after our arrival. The world seemed to turn over and become better. Something unbelievable is taking place in our souls, they have become purer. Of course it is a joke, but there is some sense in it. Everybody was born anew at the North Pole. Beaming faces, sparkling eyes. My assistant Dmitry Saveliev has happy, radiant look. “Impressions are unforgettable!”
Participants of the expedition have fulfilled their programme. And now they are in very good mood. Everybody is alive, feels well, everything is ok. The expedition was well organized and it took place without any incidents.
On April 24, at 1 am Moscow time flags of Russia and of MVK were hoisted at “zero” spot. Mobile polar museum was opened within the framework of the third International polar year and in honour of the 70th anniversary of two heroic expeditions: the first Soviet drifting polar station SP-1 under the guidance of I.D. Papanin and flights over the North Pole, made by V.P. Chkalov’s and M.M. Gromov’s crews. The first in the world historic and patriotic exhibition at the North Pole was opened. It presented two tents – the exact replica of Papanin’s tent and the tent, painted in colours of the Russian flag. In the tents there were demonstrated photos of expedition of Shmidt, Papanin, photos of flights, made by Gromov, Chkalov, Papanin’s record book, information about Arctic exploration, present polar explorers and polar researches.
We fulfilled obligatory order – embraced axis of the equator. We sang and danced in a ring around cross point of meridians It happened that with every our step we moved into a new time zone. We played football and the game ended in a draw.
“I am sure, - Alexey Shaburov says, - that only extraordinary people come here. Everybody else is not interested in going neither to the North nor to the South Pole. You really can not find anything here, except hummocks, ice, clefts and tales about white bears. Nothing except primeval fear, which grips part of your sole for some time, and great joy that you can embrace the whole world right now? Here at the pole there is only snow and ice. Here wind blows the same way it blew one hundred years ago, ice scorches and breaks, sun can either be seen over the horizon twenty four hours a day or can be hidden at the other part of the Earth.
Some time ago to reach the North Pole people spent all their life preparing for it. Many of them had dream “To reach the North Pole and conquer the Arctic for their country and their descendants. MVK and its team have conquered the Arctic today. You should agree that this is a really heroic deed! New heroes were initiated into polar explorers - each of them was presented with Diploma of participant of the expedition to the North Pole. It is symbolic and very honourable.
“We are going to the North Pole to make new discoveries in a large, unexplored part of human relations and feelings, uniting people, who seem to be opposite, for achieving common goal. In extreme situation you feel yourself part of one unit – company, country, the whole mankind. Our exhibition at the Pole and its continuation during the year is aimed at attracting attention of all people, who are not indifferent to the great history of our country, country with a unique industrial, intellectual, human potential. Only our real present actions will allow to unite the past and the future and to build the world, we are dreaming of and want to live in”, such words were said by Alexey Shaburov, author and ideological inspirer of the project, Chairman of Board of Directors of MVK, when the project was just being developed. Today when the expedition fulfilled its task and is coming back, these words were confirmed.