On 13 August, Rosatom’s sixth international Arctic expedition “Icebreaker of Knowledge” set sail fr om Murmansk. This expedition has been organized by the Atomic Energy Information Centres network with the support of Rosatom. It is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Russia’s nuclear industry and the 500th anniversary since the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route.
The expedition will be made along the route from Murmansk passing through the North Pole to Franz Josef Land and back to Murmansk. The expedition is scheduled to reach the North Pole on August 17 and return to Murmansk on August 22, the State Flag Day of the Russian Federation. Part of the expedition will be a scientific and educational program with international experts in the field of atomic and space technologies, scientists and popularizers of science. During their journey, the participants will learn about the structure and operation of a nuclear icebreaker. They will also have the opportunity to see the unique natural beauty of the Arctic region, make the fastest round-the-world journey ever when they walk around the point wh ere all earth’s meridians meet, and test russian rovers for the first time ever in the harsh conditions of the North Pole.
This year, 66 schoolchildren from 21 countries including Brazil, Bolivia, Egypt, Indonesia, China, and other countries have joined the expedition. Many of the foreign participants will be the first representatives of their countries to visit this northernmost point on Earth. Russian and foreign scientists, engineers, specialists in the nuclear and space industries, well-known bloggers and science popularizers will also take part in the expedition. The list of speakers includes Topan Setiadipura, Head of the Reactor Technologies Research Center at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) of Indonesia; Suang Trung Le, Director of the Nuclear Physics Center of the Nuclear Physics and Technology Institute at the Vietnam Institute of Atomic Energy; Alexander Tyunin, Director General of Rosatom Composite Technologies; Leonid Dedyukha, an unpaid advisor to the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, winner of the All-Russian contest “Teacher of the Year” in 2024, Ambassador of the Atomic Lesson project; Andrey Babkin test cosmonaut, Deputy Commander of the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Team, and many others.