China’s first all-terrain vehicle going to Antarctica

World Today

Xinhua Photo

The icebreaker which is being called Xuelong or “Snow Dragon” has a crew of 265 and is expected to leave Shanghai on Saturday for a six-month expedition to Antarctica.

It’s China’s first all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to work in polar conditions and will join the 32nd Antarctic expedition.

The vehicle, developed by the Polar Research Institute of China and Guizhou Jonyang Kinetics Co. Ltd, was delivered to the expedition team in Shanghai on Wednesday.

The amphibious vehicle has excellent maneuverability and can run in snowfields, deserts, beaches and mountainous regions at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour (37.2 miles per hour) and at 5 kilometers per hour (3.1 miles per hour) in water, said Lyu Qian, president of Guizhou Jonyang Kinetics Co. Ltd.

It can also cross a 0.6 meter (about 23.6 inches) vertical barrier and a 1.5-meters (about 60 inches) ditch. It can also work in environments between minus 41 degrees Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit) and 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), said Lyu.

The vehicle is equipped with a low-carbon-emission engine and a computer system that can transmit operation data from the Antarctic back to China for analysis.

Xinhua

 

World largest canyonA Chinese expedition team to Antarctica found the world’s largest canyon, beneath an ice sheet.Spotted near the Princess Elizabeth Land, the canyon is more than 1,000 km (620 miles) long, up to 25 km (15.5 miles) wide and 1,500 meters (4920 feet) deep.The discovery bumps the U.S. Grand Canyon from its spot as the largest known canyon on Earth.

Posted by CCTV America on Wednesday, January 20, 2016