polar region

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Trump's Plan for the Poles: an Icebreaker Fleet by 2029

Memo asks for review of possible locations, icebreaker capabilities

(Newser) - Countries including China and Russia are increasing their military presence in the high Arctic, and US President Trump is looking to follow suit. Trump has ordered an assessment of possible US bases at the North and South poles along with plans for a fleet of icebreakers to be ready by...

2 Workers Die in Unexplained Accident at US Antarctic Station

They were found unconscious in generator building

(Newser) - Tragedy in Antarctica: Two technicians are dead after an unexplained accident at an American research station, the National Science Foundation says. The NSF says the two men had been working on a fire-suppression system for a McMurdo Station building that houses a generator for a radio transmitter, Reuters reports. They...

One Woman's Desperation Advanced Polar Exploration

Meet the remarkable Lady Jane Franklin

(Newser) - In 1845, renowned explorer John Franklin set sail from England across the northern Atlantic in the hopes of discovering and successfully navigating the Northwest Passage. Three years later, with no word from the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, it became clear that the seasoned Arctic explorer and his crew...

14-Year-Old Adventurer Aims to Make History With Triple Trek

Jade Hameister departing for first leg of 'polar hat trick'

(Newser) - Jade Hameister might soon become the youngest person to travel to the ends of the Earth. The 14-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, is about to embark on a three-week trek to the North Pole that will see her skiing 140 miles across sea ice while pulling a sled that weighs as...

With 16K Condoms, Antarctic Base Ready for Winter

Polar base all set for lights out

(Newser) - The McMurdo Antarctic station got a vital shipment last month just before the southern winter descended—a year's supply of condoms. Some 16,500 condoms were delivered to the base's 125 staff. Supply flights won't resume until after the sun rises again in August, when the polar station's population begins...

7 Minutes of Danger in Mars Quest

Probe makes risky landing Sunday in hunt for water

(Newser) - The latest NASA mission searching for signs of life on Mars comes to a heart-pounding climax Sunday as the Phoenix Lander attempts to touch down at the red planet's pole in a hunt for water. The lander must perform complex maneuvers in which the whole mission is at risk for...

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