Mikhail Korniyenko, Alexander Lynnik and Denis Efremov are not afraid. These three Russians set a world record for skydiving last week. On April 12, they launched into the void
10,500 meters above the North Pole from an IL-76 military transport plane. Their descent from the stratosphere to the frozen ground of the Arctic was filmed, resulting in a spectacular video.
On the other hand, establishing such a record is not without consequences on the body. The three paratroopers suffered frostbite to their cheeks despite wearing heated helmets. If the outside temperature at such an altitude is around minus 50 degrees... at a falling speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the feeling can go down to minus 70 degrees.
“In addition to oxygen, heating is also very important,”
confirms Nikita Tsaplin, the organizer of this stratospheric jump
.
The parachutists were equipped with
“heated insoles, heated mask, heated gloves and even all this did not save our record holders from frostbite”.
Beyond the record, this mission also served to test a new prototype communication system.
“20% of our country's territory is beyond the Arctic Circle,”
recalled Russian Nikita Tsaplin
. “The relevance of communication in places like is therefore crucial. Currently, polar explorers on many expeditions have only one option: Iridium satellite communication. There is no other means of communication there.
The three paratroopers landed near Russia's Barneo polar base, where Tsaplin said they were able to power a server using diesel generators and establish a connection to a satellite. The equipment had been dropped earlier from a lower altitude. “
The North Pole is actually a very convenient place,”
explained the jump organizer
. “The fact is that thanks to its location, a satellite flies over it almost every 90 minutes, so you don't need a large group of satellites to provide communication at the North Pole.”