Soviet Antarctic Expedition

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The Fourth Soviet Antarctic Expedition used three large tractors and four sledges on the journey from Vostok to the South Pole

The Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE or SovAE) (Russian: Советская Антарктическая Экспедиция, САЭ) was part of the Arctic and Antarctic Scientific Research Institute of the Soviet Committee on Antarctic Research of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

The Soviet Ministry of Sea Transport was responsible for the administration, logistics and supply of expeditions.

The first Soviet contact with Antarctica was in 1946 when Soviet whaling ships were whaling in Antarctic waters.

1 Stations
2 Expeditions
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Stations

The first Soviet Antarctic station, Mirny was established near the coast on 13 February 1956. This was added to in December 1957 by another station, Vostok built inland near the south geomagnetic pole.

As with many other Antarctic stations, there was an element of geopolitics in the Soviet expedition. Other nations have tended to put their stations within their "claimed" territory; the Soviet Union made no claims but their stations were deliberately placed all around the continent. This made for expensive logistics. For example, the first station Mirny was established in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

[edit] Year-round stations

Mirny (established 13th February, 1956)
Vostok (established December, 1957)
Novolazarevskaya (established February, 1961)
Molodezhnaya (established 1963)
Bellingshausen (established 1968)
Leningradskaya (established February, 1971)
Russkaya (established 9th March, 1980)

[edit] Summer stations

Komsomolskaya
Pionerskaya
Druzhnaya I (on the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea)
Druzhnaya II (on the Weddell Sea)

10 Years of Soviet Research in Antarctica, 1966 USSR stamp block

[edit] IGY stations

List of stations in use during the International Geophysical Year.

[edit] Expeditions

Main article: List of Antarctic expeditions by the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union engaged in expeditions to Antarctica from 1955 to its collapse, after the collapse, the Soviet Antarctic stations were taken over by Russia.