NASA-ESA track British adventurers travelling 4,200 km across Antarctica in 80 days

In order to test the human capabilities in extreme conditions, two British adventurers have set out on an 80-day trek through unforgiving Antarctica on foot. The expedition named 'Chasing the Light' commenced over three weeks ago and is backed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and Stanford University. According to the collaborators, the conclusion of the excruciating trek will produce data that would be used to prepare humans for missions to Antarctica-like extreme environments on the Moon and Mars.

Meet the adventurers

The two adventurers being observed by the aforementioned collaborators are Justin Packshaw, a former soldier and Jamie Facer Childs, a doctor and former army medic who are travelling 4,200 kilometres from coast to coast of Antarctica. Interestingly, Childs, who was born in 1987, was the world’s first frozen embryo twin and also the youngest person to row across the Indian Ocean in 2017. On the other hand, Packshaw has climbed Mount Everest and has led several trips to the North and South Poles besides serving eight years as an officer in the British Army.

Currently, on their 24th day, the duo has been left at the mercy of nature and are forging ahead on their foot and skis along with a sledge weighing 200kg and a kite. Talking about the expedition, Chasing the Light said through its website-

Much like the extreme conditions found on planets in our Solar System, Antarctica has an austere environment that is useful for a range of human and biological research, ranging from isolation, microbial investigations, immunology, and much more. 

It added that the scientists will be able to note the extent of human capability through Packshaw and Childs' mission and will help in mapping genomic, physiological, psychological, and environmental data models for space explorations. Every week, both the travellers are undergoing two tests where the scientists are examining the impact of the weather as they move ahead at -38 degrees celsius temperature. Besides, their sleep and stress levels are also being monitored for psychological surveys via a smartwatch. In an interview with The Times, Packshaw said, "'It is a proper old-school adventure, long in duration and unsupported. When Mother Nature flexes her muscles out here, it's really quite an impressive thing to witness". 

This mission is meant to test human health in extreme conditions and once it ends, scientists across the globe will monitor training, expedition, and recovery of humans using cutting edge technology and personalized health profiling.

Image: Chasing The Light