A sub-zero adventure: 2,500 km in Antarctica with a sled driven only by the wind – 04/02/2019

The Spanish expedition "Antarctica Unexplorada 2018-2019" has carried out an unprecedented scientific mission: with a windswept sled, its 4 members They traveled 2,500 kilometers on the ice in 52 days. The biggest step is that this trip has been completed with zero emissions.

In parallel, they conducted ten scientific experiments for different research centers, which will make it possible to study from climate change to meteorology and astrobiology.

The adventurers Ramón Larramendi, Ignacio Oficialdegui, Hilo Moreno and Manuel Olivera acknowledged that it was "a geographical challenge, but also a scientific one" because they had to succeed of the work that they do, the results are obtained. Your experiments will be used to calibrate the Galileo satellites (a geo-positioning system of the European Union), to know the air pollution in Antarctica or to understand the functioning of the devices that will be used in the Mars 2020 mission.

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"It's the first time we've managed to climb the Fuji Dome – one of the coldest places on the planet – in a windmill; until now, he had always arrived with motorized vehicles, "explained the inventor of the Sleigh Wind, Ramón Larramendi, also chief of the expedition.

"It was difficult, but we consider this pbadage as a great geographical, technical and scientific success, because we have shown that it is possible not to contaminate a complex and inaccessible territory such as Antarctica. And that was our goal, "said Spaniard Larramendi, of Russia's Novolazavrevskaya base.

On his state of health, Larramendi said that "we are all four in perfect physical condition, although tired, after having withstood temperatures up to 42º below zero. The Unexplorada Antarctic was a great geographical, technical, scientific and energetic challenge and everything ended in perfect conditions. U.S. too ".

In fact, the expedition has determined the southernmost positions ever calculated with the European Galileo satellite navigation system, according to ESA. Their calculations not only confirm Galileo's performance at extreme latitudes, but will also illuminate meteorological phenomena.

"We arrived at our starting point! We are at the place where they left us on December 12, 52 days ago!" And we are euphoric, in the middle of nowhere, celebrate it as there is no tomorrowLarramendi said: "We have fulfilled our goal with our Wind Sledge, which is like new, so impeccable that we could start another expedition tomorrow."

The Inuit WindSled is a truck-sized modular sled with stores and solar panels, which moves on ice thanks to a giant kite of 150 m2.

"We collaborate with ESA and other scientific institutions, which is very important because it allows us to demonstrate that this eco-vehicle fleece has great potential for doing science inside Antarctica", Concluded Larramendi.

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The Spaniards, who will still be in Antarctica, are expected to return to Spain early next week to give details of the adventure when they arrive in Madrid.