China's Antarctic Investigation

　　At 15:16 on January 18 (Beijing Time), China's 21st Antarctic Scientific Expedition Team placed China's five-star flag atop the peak of the Dome-A Polar Icecap, meaning the expedition team had successfully reached Dome-A to become the first group in world history to conquer the said icecap.

　　The Dome-A peak is the area with the highest altitude (4,093 meters) on the Antarctic inland icecap, where the weather condition is extremely bad, and hence is seen as an "unconquerable pole." Before the Chinese expedition team's successful venture, no country had ever entered Dome-A, let alone any systematically investigated there.

　　On October 25th, 2004, for the 21st time, China proceeded with a large-scale scientific investigation program to the South Pole. Meanwhile, China sent a well-trained expedition team to the scientific investigation of Dome-A. It took the expedition team over 80 days to successfully reach the Dome-A peak.

　　Prior to China's expedition to Dome-A, some scientist had conducted observation on Dome-A via satellite, concluding without confirmation that the altitude of Dome-A was 4,034 meters. Therefore, China's investigation on the peak of the Polar Icecap has drawn widespread attention from foreign countries. The data the team got through measurements is believed to have filled a gap in the history of Antarctic scientific investigations.

　　After reaching the area, China's expedition team made a sign with 13 oil barrels on the highest peak, with the name of "China Dome-A Station" on it, and held a flag-raising ceremony there.

　　Through ice-core drilling at about 300 meters from the highest peak, the team obtained a 100-meter-long ice core, which will provide important research sample on the climate changes and environment evolvement of Dome-A over a period of nearly one thousand years.

　　Meanwhile, the team will set up an automatic climate observing system, which can work under temperatures reaching a frigid -90℃ and which will transmit such data as snow temperature, solar radiation, wind power and direction, and air pressure.

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