| Discovery Expedition |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT DISCOVERY EXPEDITION | |
| exploration of antarctica | |
| scientific expeditions | |
| 1901 in the united kingdom | |
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PRIOR ANTARCTIC (ROSS SEA) EXPEDITIONS The Discovery Expedition was one of several undertaken in the Ross Sea area of Antarctica during the period 1840 to 1903. These expeditions pursued a mix of survey, scientific and commercial activities. The Southern Ocean around Antarctica was an area of growing commercial importance in the late 1800s due to the rapid expansion of Whaling . Private and Government interests sponsored expeditions with a view to establishing bases in Antarctica to exploit the whale and seal populations and to investigate the potential for mineral extraction and processing.
DISCOVERY EXPEDITION MEMBERS A partial list of the members of the Discovery expedition follows. Career achievements subsequent to the Discovery expedition are not included.
FIRST SEASON in the background]] The RRS ''Discovery'' sailed from the UK on August 6 , 1901 . Amongst the crew were Second Lieutenant Ernest Shackleton , Albert Armitage and Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson . On January 3 , 1902 , the Discovery crossed the Antarctic Circle and on February 3 , 1902 , the ship sailed into a bay within the Ross Ice Shelf . The next day Scott ascended eight hundred feet (240 m) in a hydrogen-filled balloon. In McMurdo Sound , three prefabricated huts were erected on shore to store supplies and scientific equipment; the ship would serve as the men's living quarters. On November 2 , 1902 , Scott led a three man team south to explore for practical routes towards the South Pole and to test techniques for Antarctic travel. By December 30 , 1902 , they had reached (82° 17’S), about 350 miles from Hut Point . After they made camp, Scott ordered Shackleton to stay with the dogs, while he and Wilson marched several more miles southward. Stunned that he was not allowed to share the glory of the "furthest-south" record, Shackleton never forgave Scott. SECOND SEASON On October 26 , 1903 , Scott and his nine-man party marched west from Hut Point toward the mountains of Victoria Land . By mid-November, after a grueling climb up the Ferrar Glacier , they had reached the plateau. :"Before us lay the unknown...What fascination lies in the word! Could anyone wonder that we determined to push on, be the outlook ever so comfortless?"...''Robert Falcon Scott'' On January 5 , 1904 , the ships ''Morning'' and ''Terra Nova'' , loomed in the distance. Scott was ordered to abandon the ''Discovery'' if it was still locked in ice at the end of six weeks. On February 14 , 1904 , the floe suddenly fractured and the ships were able to penetrate the widening channels. Two days later, explosives freed the ''Discovery''. Scott reached the UK in September . SEE ALSO REFERENCES FURTHER READING
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