Sudakov Valerii
08.02.1959
On February 5, 1959 a small group of glaciologists travelled by plane from Mirny to the Komsomolskaya station. They intended to study the structure of the snow cover. A sled train was also getting ready to join them: the goal was to create an intermediate fuel base for an upcoming trip to the South Pole.
Almost immediately upon arrival at Komsomolskaya all the new members were feeling sick. They had to overcome oxygen deficiency, the thinness and dryness of the air, they basically needed to acclimatise. The plane went back to Mirny.
Next day a blizzard hit Mirny. The visibility was only 4 metres, and the wind speed 30-35 metres per second. There were lit beacons on top of the houses placed 10 metres from one another, but it was impossible to see them.
On February 7, a radiogram came from Komsomolskaya: one of the glaciologists, Valery Sudakov, fell ill. He had a fever of 40°C (104°F), was unconscious and living on oxygen.
Igor Zotikov described Valery as a gentle, shy and smiley robust fellow. Sudakov was supposed to study the structure of the snow cover during the sled train trip and in a controlled environment.
They had to fly Valery away as soon as possible, however, the hurricane would not let them. The plane iced up while still on land. The explorers contacted the American McMurdo station, but the cyclone struck it as well, making take-off impossible.
Valery Sudakov passed away in the early hours of February 9. There was not a whisper of a blizzard on the morning of the 10th. The sun was shining in the clear blue sky. A Li-2 set out to Komsomolskaya and nearly crashed on sastrugi (wavelike snow ridges) during take-off. The plane brought the explorer’s body to Mirny in the evening.
Almost immediately upon arrival at Komsomolskaya all the new members were feeling sick. They had to overcome oxygen deficiency, the thinness and dryness of the air, they basically needed to acclimatise. The plane went back to Mirny.
Next day a blizzard hit Mirny. The visibility was only 4 metres, and the wind speed 30-35 metres per second. There were lit beacons on top of the houses placed 10 metres from one another, but it was impossible to see them.
On February 7, a radiogram came from Komsomolskaya: one of the glaciologists, Valery Sudakov, fell ill. He had a fever of 40°C (104°F), was unconscious and living on oxygen.
Igor Zotikov described Valery as a gentle, shy and smiley robust fellow. Sudakov was supposed to study the structure of the snow cover during the sled train trip and in a controlled environment.
They had to fly Valery away as soon as possible, however, the hurricane would not let them. The plane iced up while still on land. The explorers contacted the American McMurdo station, but the cyclone struck it as well, making take-off impossible.
Valery Sudakov passed away in the early hours of February 9. There was not a whisper of a blizzard on the morning of the 10th. The sun was shining in the clear blue sky. A Li-2 set out to Komsomolskaya and nearly crashed on sastrugi (wavelike snow ridges) during take-off. The plane brought the explorer’s body to Mirny in the evening.
