Two polar expedition team members ride on an amphibious multi-terrain vehicle for road investigation on the Antarctic ice sheet on Wednesday, December 12, 2007. [Photo Xinhuanet]
A Chinese polar expedition team used two amphibious multi-terrain vehicles to navigate roads on the Antarctic ice sheet on Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The vehicle, called Xi Bei Hu, can move across various surfaces, including water, at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers an hour. It can climb 30-degree slope and make 360-degree turns on a fixed point, and is also capable of continued operation at a temperature between 40 to negative 40 degrees centigrade.
The vehicle will assist the Chinese polar expedition ship, Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, in transporting people and materials, road investigation, and mapping work on some special terrains.
The Chinese polar expedition ship Xuelong stops on the Antarctic ice sheet for loading on Wednesday, December 12, 2007. [Photo: Xinhuanet]
