Aug 28 1977
From The Space Library
The W. Post reported that the leader of a USSR expedition on the first surface ship to reach the North Pole had told a news conference that his major problem was deciding when the ship had reached its destination. Soviet Minister of Merchant Marine Timofey B. Guzhenko said that, as the ship neared the pole Aug. 17, fog had made sun readings impossible; the polar daylight obscured the stars; and magnetic compasses were worthless when they "began to jump at the pole." The vessel's officers had to spend several hr determining whether they had reached the pole. They finally relied on a satellite navigation system accurate within about 800yd, and made two passes through the ice floes to make sure they had reached their goal. The crew of the 13-day 3582mi expedition on the nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika had planted a Soviet flag and capsule containing a copy of the USSR constitution to mark their accomplishment. (W Post, Aug 28/77, A24)
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