№ 1072-1074. The 50th anniversary of the Russian Research of Antarctica.

The diesel-electric ship Obj became the ensign ship of the complex Antarctic expedition, which was delivered by it to the shore of Antarctica on the 5th of January 1956. From here on the construction of “Mirni” observatory, which was the main base of the Soviet Antarctic expeditions from 1956 to 1971, began. The observatory was opened on the 13th of February, 1956, because of conducting of the International geophysical year. Twenty main buildings, special magnetic, seismic and upper-air stations, geophysical, geological, gravimetrical and other laboratories, radio station, which had the direct connection with Moscow, were constructed in “Mirni”. The scientific village is situated on the shore of Deivis’s sea, on a small projection named “Mirni” peninsula. The observatory is situated on the height of 35 meters above the sea level.

The decision to prepare the transport aircraft Il-76 TD for flights to Antarctica was made in 1985 with the aim of reduction of time and costs connected with the delivery of participants of Antarctic expedition, cargo and equipment to the 6th continent and back. The job and the checkout connected with the 1st flight equipment had been finished by the beginning of the 1986. The ice-airfields near the “Molodjozhnaja” and “Novolazarevskaja” polar stations had been prepared at the same time. The scientific expedition ship “Akademician Feodorov” was launched in 1987. This ship is unique in its own way. It has no analogues in supplying the Antarctic expeditions worldwide. The amount of cargo and the number of people, delivered to the ice continent on board the “Academician Feodorov” is uncountable.

The interest in Antarctica research has not been weakening during the last half of the century. The important researches relating to our planet the Earth in general may be executed in Antarctica (especially in its remote parts). The snow beddings contain information about the climate history during tens of thousands of years. The huge lake (the Earth’s forth according to size) of very old origin was found under the 400 kilometers of ice at the place of the deposition of the Russian Antarctic station “Vostok”. The analysis of the bacterium which has been evidently remained in the water may clarify the problem of origin of life on our planet.