Destination North Pole

A three-man scientific expedition to the Nouth Pole will be setting out in the next couple of days from Cape Arctichesky in northern Russia.  The Pole Track mission will take 63 days to complete the 620-mile (1,000-kilometer) journey, traveling by skis and occasionally canoe.

The team, led by Dutch explorer Marc Cornelissen, will deploy three weather beacons, as well as take thousands of snow depth measurements in support of the CryoSat mission.  This satellite from the European Space Agency - which is scheduled for a June launch - will measure the elevation of ice sheets and changes in sea-ice thickness.  

Cornelissen will be joined by Petter Nyquist from Norway and Doug Stoup from the USA.  They will be dragging their food and equipment in sleds that double as canoes.  Because of the grueling exercise and cold temperature, the men will have to consume around 6,000 calories per day - more than twice what the average male eats.

"Even with this high calorie intake, we each expect to have lost around 10 kilos [22 pounds] in body weight by the time we reach the North Pole," Cornelissen said.  "However, I'm not sure it would catch on as the next diet craze!"

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: Jonneke van Eijsden - Beluga Adventures