With the reopening of the Italian base "Mario Zucchelli" in Terra Nova Bay, the 33 ^ 2017-2018 Summer Antarctic Campaign has officially started National Research Program in Antarctica (PNRA), funded by MIUR with CNR's scientific and logistical coordination of ENEA and the participation of the Armed Forces.
In this shipment, Italian Navy 25 will be engaged in Army, Navy and Aeronautics, within the specific competencies of the Armed Forces.
The military will participate in shipments from 1985 and this year will support the engineers and researchers selected by ENEA (National Agency for New Technologies and Sustainable Economic Development).
The Armed Forces only participate in the activities of the Summer Campaigns, which run from October to February, that is, in the period that coincides with the Antarctic summer, where very complex but less restrictive climatic conditions exist than the rest of the year. At the Italian coastal station Mario Zucchelli, in fact, average temperatures are between 0 ° C and -35 ° C and it is necessary to adapt to 24 hours of light per day throughout the period.
In view of the 33 ^ expedition, participants had to attend a one-week theoretical-practical course at the ENEA Center in Brasimone (BO), and another week of mountain climbing adaptation on Mont Blanc with guides alpine hills of the Aosta Army Alpine Training Center.
Since the second expedition the personnel of the Navy, through the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy (IIM) of Genoa, performs hydrographic surveys, in areas surrounding the Italian base, to contribute to the realization of the Antarctic Nautical Cartography, based on the indications provided by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
Due to the difficulties to reach the Italian station Mario Zucchelli in Antarctica and to meet the needs represented by the 'Antarctic Technical Unit, the ENEA requested the Air Force Military to work with a flyer at the Boulder Clay site on Antarctic continent. The realization of the landing track will likely be made in 4 Next Shipment, coinciding with the opening of the Mario Zucchelli station.
