India’s first scientific mission to south pole flagged off

With the launching of India's first mission to the South Pole yesterday at the hands of union science and technology minister, Prithviraj Chavan, the stage is set for the Indian science and technology establishment to add another laurel to its credit.

An eight-member team led by the director of National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Rasik Ravindra, will undertake an expedition from 'Maitri,' the Indian station on the Antarctica, to the south pole starting 8 November and return by the middle of December.

The expedition to the pole is expected to be completed in 40 days.

The mission is aimed at uncovering the changes in environmental conditions in Antarctica over the past 1,000 years.

According to Ravindra, the team will fly via South Africa to India's Maitri research base, located in the Schirmacher Oasis, which is an ice-free area in the region.

The team will then travel to the pole, 2000km from the base in specially designed vehicles, carrying out a range of experiments on the way.