NEW FRONTIERS Life on (white) Mars Currently dormant in winter, Antarctica the seventh continent is increasingly visited by heavy metal By Captain Robin Evans, Senior Log Contributor W ith its northern counterpart deriving its name from the Greek rktos (bear), for the constellations around which it appeared to revolve, Antarctica means antiarctic. First discovered by Europeans two centuries ago, its mysteries were progressively revealed by the curiously fearless from sea, land and, finally, air, a process still ongoing. Twice the size of Australia, Antarctica rises to a polar plateau at 9,300ft, with mountainous belts up to 16,000ft punching through miles of million-year-old ice. The interior is alive with glaciers grinding towards a coast surrounded by ice shelves and encircled by furious winds, the polar winter adding months of permanent darkness. This significantly tested early aviation. The first aeroplane ashore was a Vickers Monoplane in 1913, but, damaged on test, its wings were removed and it was repurposed as a powered sledge. Equally thwarted, the first pilot in Antarctica was New Zealander Charles Carr, on Shackletons 1921-22 Quest expedition. Their 80hp Avro left behind, Shackletons death abruptly ended the mission and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. With Antarctica remaining as flightless as the penguin, explorers refocused on the Arctic. Buoyed by their 2,200nm Arctic crossing in April 1928, Australian scientist Sir Hubert Wilkins and pilot Carl Eielson made a first survey of the mountainous Antarctic Peninsula by Lockheed Vega later that year. Their 1,000 mile, 10-hour flight to 71oS redrew the map. The Machine Age had begun. The South Pole was first overflown in 1929, US 22 THE LOG Spring 25 pp22-25 Antartica.indd 22 17/03/2025 14:17