What were the results of Byrd’s Antarctic expedition?

Byrd’s first flight to the South Pole

Although the Antarctic expeditions before the beginning of the 20th century sounded very thrilling, they were the most dangerous in terms of scale and achievements. Very limited. Without advanced technical equipment, in a difficult environment, one can only rely on people's adventurous spirit and incomparable perseverance.

After the 1920s, the situation has changed a lot. The use of aircraft begins in Antarctica. It not only improved the living conditions for expeditions, but also greatly expanded the scope of exploration. Only then did people gradually understand the true face of Antarctica.

The first expedition to Antarctica using aircraft and other new equipment was the U.S. Antarctic Expedition from 1928 to 1930. There were more than 60 participants, led by U.S. Navy Admiral Richard. De E. Byrd.

Byrd successfully flew over the North Pole on May 9, 1926, together with pilot Floyd Bennett. Later, at a banquet, he told Amundsen that he wanted to fly to the South Pole. Amundsen said: "An important job can be accomplished. Your idea is right." Later in 1928, Byrd officially announced his plan to fly to Antarctica. On October 11, Bird led a large American expedition consisting of 2 ocean-going ships, 4 aircraft, snow transport vehicles and 50 team members. They set out from San Francisco, passed the equator, sailed to the Southern Ocean, and arrived at the end of the year. Rose Ice Barrier. The mission of this expedition included detecting the geology of the Queen Maud Mountains, clarifying the topography east of what is now Mary Byrd Land, accurately measuring the Bay of Whales, and flying over the South Pole for an air expedition.

He established a base near Whale Bay and named it Little America.

On November 29, 1929, Bird led pilot Balken, co-pilot Harold Jean, and photographer Ashley McKinley to take off from a small American base. At the beginning, they were able to Taking photos of the mountains below, but soon ran into serious trouble. Only when the aircraft rises to an altitude of more than 3,000 meters can it avoid the danger of hitting the peaks in front of the polar plateau. So Bird ordered his entourage to drop 110 kilograms of food to reduce the weight of the plane. As a result, the plane climbed to a height of 120 meters above the mountain before safely entering the sky above the polar plateau, and soon reached the South Pole.

Bird recalled: “We were at the place where Amundsen had stopped on December 14, 1911, and where Scott had stayed and read the note Amundsen had left him 34 days later. The sky above the place stayed for a few seconds... There are no signs of that scene now; there is only the desolate and lonely snowy field, echoing the sound of our aircraft engines."

Bird's Second Antarctic. Expedition

From 1933 to 1935, Bird organized and led the second Antarctic expedition, with the purpose of expanding the results of the first expedition.

This time the expedition team is larger than the first one, with a total of 120 members, including experts and scholars in various disciplines. It is equipped with 4 aircraft, plus those who stayed during the first inspection. There are 2 out of 2 aircraft at the Little America Base, one of which is a helicopter. In addition, there are 6 tractors, 150 Huskies, and enough food and fuel for 15 months.

Byrd returned to Whale Bay in 1934 and rebuilt the Little American Base. From here, expedition flights east and west mapped and expanded the area of ??early discovery. This expedition discovered an ice plateau hidden on the Ross Ice Shelf and named it Roosevelt Island. Bird's second aircraft expedition flight range totaled 31,000 kilometers, and the surveyed and mapped area reached 1.16 million square kilometers. On the ground, pulled by a tractor, it traveled 2,100 kilometers in a row. Scientists observed cosmic rays and high-altitude meteorological phenomena, and used echo sounding to measure the thickness of the ice. They concluded that most of the continental ice sheet and the Ross Ice Barrier are above the ground, and that the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea are not connected.

One of the goals of Bird's expedition is to conduct continuous meteorological observations in the Antarctic interior throughout the Antarctic winter. Because every expedition team that had visited the shore before had been tortured by the severe weather that occurred inland.

In March 1934, land tractors dragged Bird's team members who established the "forward base" to advance inland. Weather conditions and other problems forced them to set up their camp only 160 kilometers away from the Little American Base. Due to the approaching winter and the short construction time, the new forward base turned out to be much smaller than originally planned. Therefore, Bird decided to spend the winter alone in a 2.7-meter-wide and 3.9-meter-long igloo built below the ground.

After Bird lived alone in the "Ice Crystal Palace" for 6 weeks, he began to feel a little uncomfortable. His eyes hurt, he could not see the words clearly, and his head became a little dizzy. At first, he didn't mind much, but then it became too much. He repeatedly looked for reasons, maybe gas was at work. He carefully inspected the stove and found that the chimney joint was not tight and the chimney outlet was blocked by snow. After repairs, the situation improved somewhat. However, the smoke from the generator (containing carbon monoxide) repeatedly opposed him. After several repairs, it was of no avail. He began to lose consciousness periodically and was unable to eat. However, Byrd was a tenacious man. Although he could make radio contact with the small American base at any time, he never told them of his dangerous situation and insisted on taking weather records.

Because he didn't want people to risk the Antarctic night to rescue him. Finally, it was his inexplicable telegram to the small American base that aroused people's alarm. So, a three-person rescue team was immediately dispatched, and they traveled on a tractor in the dark for more than a month. Only on August 10 did they find the underground igloo where Byrd lived. When they saw him, they were stunned. His sunken cheeks and haggard expression clearly indicated that he had experienced unbearable torture. Under the care of three rescuers, Bird gradually recovered. The three of them lived with Bird in this cabin for 2 months. They left here and returned to the small American base after the Antarctic polar night passed. This amazing endurance is comparable to Shackleton's arduous efforts to reach the South Pole in 1909, and also comparable to Scott's determination.

Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition

During the period from 1939 to 1941, with the support of the U.S. government, Byrd led the third Antarctic expedition. It is worth noting that this expedition used a unique scientific expedition machine called "Snow Traveler". It is 16.75 meters long, 6 meters wide, 4.5 meters high, weighs 33.5 tons when fully loaded, and is equipped with a 3-meter-diameter wheels, each weighing 3 tons. The machine uses diesel to generate electricity and has a small reconnaissance aircraft mounted on top. There are living quarters, laboratories, mechanical rooms, and even darkrooms. It can carry fuel for traveling 8,000 kilometers, gasoline for airplanes and enough food for four people for a year. It's actually a small, portable camp. There is great hope of using it to reach the South Pole. Bolter was responsible for transporting it from the North Star auxiliary ship to the Ross Ice Shelf. However, it is regrettable that the "Snow Traveler" only advanced 5 kilometers to the South Pole. When it encountered a 1.6-meter-high snow ridge, its wheels became stuck in the snow and became immobile, so it had to stay with the plane in the west. base.

Antarctic Snow Ridge Despite this, Byrd's third expedition was successful. He used two bases, Little America Three (west base) led by Sepple, and Stonington Island (east base) led by Black. He was directly or indirectly responsible for mapping a larger area than any other Antarctic explorer. The expedition conducted long-range aerial surveys from east and west bases and flew over large ice floes in the Amundsen Sea three times to determine the location of Ellsworth Heights and the Walgreen Coast. The sled team reached the southwest coast of George VI Strait and the southwest coast of the Weddell Sea and conducted scientific investigations. At both bases, scientific investigations in comprehensive disciplines were conducted.