Episode 1118
Australasian Antarctic Expedition
Wed, 2020-May-27 00:33 UTC
Length - 3:31
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Wednesday, 27 May 2020 is Australasian Antarctic Expedition.
The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was a 1911–1914 expedition headed by Douglas Mawson that explored the largely uncharted Antarctic coast due south of Australia. Mawson had been inspired to lead his own venture by his experiences on Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod expedition in 1907–1909. During its time in Antarctica, the expedition's sledging parties covered around 2,600 miles (4,180 km) of unexplored territory, while its ship, SY Aurora, navigated 1,800 miles (2,900 km) of unmapped coastline. Scientific activities included meteorological measurements, magnetic observations, an expansive oceanographic program, and the collection of many biological and geological samples, including the discovery of the first meteorite found in Antarctica. The expedition was the first to establish and maintain wireless contact between Antarctica and Australia. Another planned innovation – the use of an aircraft – was thwarted by an accident before the expedition sailed. The plane's fuselage was adapted to form a motorised sledge or "air-tractor", but it proved to be of very limited use.
The expedition was organised into three bases: one on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island and two on the Antarctic mainland. The main base, under Mawson's command, was set up at Cape Denison, about 300 miles (480 km) west of Cape Adare, and a western base under Frank Wild was established on the Shackleton Ice Shelf, more than 1,500 miles (2,410 km) west of Cape Denison. Activities at both mainland bases were hampered by extreme winds, which often made outside work impossible.
The expedition was marred by the deaths of two members during an attempt to reach Oates Land: Belgrave Edward Ninnis, who fell into a crevasse, and Xavier Mertz, who died on the harrowing return journey. Mawson, their sledging partner, was then forced to make an arduous solo trek back to base; he missed the ship, and had to spend an extra year at Cape Denison, along with a relief party of six. This sojourn was made difficult by the mental breakdown of Sidney Jeffryes, the wireless operator. When Mawson returned from Antarctica, he was given a hero's welcome and received many honours, including a knighthood. The scientific studies provided copious, detailed data which took thirty years to completely publish and the expedition's broad exploration program laid the groundwork for Australia's later territorial claims in Antarctica.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:33 UTC on Wednesday, 27 May 2020.
For the full current version of the article, see Australasian Antarctic Expedition on Wikipedia.
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This has been Justin. Thank you for listening to featured Wiki of the Day.
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