Santas for polar explorers: the first detachment of the seasonal expedition reached Vernadsky station
Photo: National Antarctic Research Center
In the New Year, not one Santa, but a whole team came to our winterers with gifts! The first part of the seasonal expedition, which left Kyiv on December 5, just got to the station.
This was announced by the National Antarctic Research Center, Rubryka reports.
The winterers of the 26th UAE were especially waiting for their colleagues, as they are their first "guests" since April 2021. Moreover, they didn't arrive empty-handed, but brought, in particular, fresh vegetables and fruits, which Vernadskyi station ran out of a few months ago.
Photo: National Antarctic Research Center
This seasonal team consists mostly of technical specialists, engineers, and mechanics, who will continue the work started earlier on the modernization of the station.
It is planned that in the next two months, together with colleagues-winterers, they will perform the following important tasks:
- completing the replacement of fuel pipelines connecting the main and reserve fuel tanks with each other and with the diesel room, replacing all shut-off valves on pipes and fuel tanks;
- organizing a new grounding system for critical infrastructure. This requires drilling in superhard volcanic rocks, basalts, and andesites with more than 100 holes with a diameter of 52 mm;
- creating columnar supports for a new warehouse building. To do this, they need to dig snow and ice to the rock, drill 96 holes for reinforcement, fix the reinforcement in the holes with a chemical anchor, install formwork and concrete 24 supports;
- expanding and harmonizing the Antarctic site for garbage storage. This also includes drilling and reinforcement work, concreting, then creating walls and roofs;
- cleaning the main fuel tank from fuel residues, sludge, and paraffin, preparing its inner walls for anti-corrosion painting;
- restoring thermal insulation and wind barrier under the main building of the station on an area of about 30 square meters;
- producing a new stainless steel fuel tank that feeds the boilers of the main building from stainless steel and its installation instead of the old one.
The large-scale modernization of the Academician Vernadskyi station of the National Academy of Sciences began 3 years ago, for the first time since the station was handed over to Ukraine from the UK in 1996.
