Soviet Antarctic Expedition

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: Советских Антарктических Экспедициях, 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.

Stations

File:Geophysics house at molodozhnoy.jpg

A building for geophysics at the Molodezhnaya Station.

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.

Year-round stations

• Mirnyy (established 13 February, 1956)
• Vostok (established December, 1957)
• Novolazarevskaya (established February, 1961)
• Molodezhnaya (established 1963)
• Bellingshausen (established 1968)
• Leningradskaya (established 1970)
• Russkaya (established 1980)

Summer stations

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

IGY stations

List of stations in use during the International Geophysical Year.

• Sovetskaya
• Pole of inaccessibility (Antarctic research station)

Expeditions

File:Stantsija molodozhnaja.jpg

Somova Street at Molodezhnaya Station.

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.

See also

• List of Antarctica expeditions

References

• Boczek, B. A. "The Soviet Union and the Antarctic Regime" in The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 78, No. 4 (Oct., 1984), pp. 834-858