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The Northwest Passage Drive Expedition (NWPDX) (2009-2011) was a multi-stage vehicular expedition from the North American mainland to Devon Island in the high Arctic, by way of the Northwest Passage. The expedition was led by planetary scientist Pascal Lee, and served as a simulation of future crewed pressurized rover traverses on the Moon and Mars. The expedition was the first crossing of the Northwest Passage in a road vehicle. The first stage of the expedition, NWPDX-2009, established a record for the longest distance driven continuously on sea-ice in a road vehicle: .〔Lee, P. 2010. Northwest Passage Drive : Preparing for Mars. ''Above & Beyond – Canada’s Arctic Journal''. Sept–Oct 2010, 35–39.〕 The expedition’s main objective was to deliver the Mars Institute’s ''HMP Okarian'' rover (aka ''Moon-1 Humvee Rover''), a modified Humvee serving as a planetary pressurized rover simulator, from the North American mainland to the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station on Devon Island. Once delivered, the ''HMP Okarian'' would be used for research to plan future human Moon and Mars exploration. The expedition was proposed by HMP principal investigator Pascal Lee when rover operations on Devon Island using the HMP’s first Humvee, the ''Mars-1 Humvee Rover'', as a single rover proved too difficult, and a second Humvee (the ''HMP Okarian'') became needed at the HMP site. The expedition’s secondary objectives were scientific: to measure the thickness of the sea-ice along the Northwest Passage to document Climate Change in the Arctic, to quantify the potential microbial forward contamination of future pressurized rover traverses on the Moon and Mars,〔Schuerger, A. C. & P. Lee 2015. Microbial Ecology of a Crewed Rover Traverse in the Arctic: Low Microbial Dispersal and Implications for Planetary Protection on Human Mars Missions. ''Astrobiology'', 15, 6, 478-491.〕 and to study the logistics of planning and implementing pressurized rover traverses on the Moon and Mars.〔 The expedition was supported by NASA, the Mars Institute, and the SETI Institute. Other government agencies (Air National Guard, Canadian Space Agency, Nunavut Research Institute, Polar Continental Shelf Project, and others) and private partners (AM General, Bombardier Recreational Products, Mattracks Inc., First Air and others) provided additional support. ==Overview== The Northwest Passage Drive Expedition took place in three stages over the course of three arctic field seasons, departing Kugluktuk on the North American mainland in April 2009, and ending at the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station on Devon Island in July 2011. The three stages of the expedition are designated NWPDX-2009, NWPDX-2010, and NWPDX-2011. The NWPDX-2009 expedition departed Kugluktuk on 10 April 2009, and reached Cambridge Bay on Victoria Island on 17 April 2009. The ''HMP Okarian'' was then flown by the US Air National Guard from Cambridge Bay to Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island in May 2009. The NWPDX-2010 expedition departed Resolute Bay on 5 May 2010, and reached the West coast of Devon Island on 16 May 2010. The NWPDX-2011 expedition departed the West coast of Devon Island on 18 July 2011, and reached the HMP Research Station on 20 July 2011. The NWPDX-2009 and 2010 expeditions consisted of the ''HMP Okarian'' equipped with tracks, and two snowmobiles, each vehicle towing a qamutiik sled loaded with equipment and supplies. The NWPDX-2011 expedition consisted of the ''HMP Okarian'' on wheels, escorted by two all-terrain vehicles or quad bikes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Northwest Passage Drive Expedition」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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