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The Snow Cruiser

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  The Snow Cruiser is a large wheeled vehicle for snow-covered ground that was built in 1939 to explore Antarctica. The Snow Cruiser was intended not only as a means of transport, but also as a mobile research station with living and working areas for its crew located in the vehicle itself. The Snow Cruiser's sloping rear section was to be used to lower the aircraft carried on the roof onto ice surfaces suitable for takeoff. The project was led by Thomas C. Poulter and Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd and failed because the Snow Cruiser was not able to overcome even the smallest elevations in practical use. It had simply not been possible to simulate the weather conditions of the Antarctic in the USA. The Snow Cruiser was abandoned.  The Snow Cruiser in August 1940 (you can clearly see the almost treadless tires) History of origins An Antarctic expedition, during which Admiral Byrd almost lost his life but was rescued by Poulter, is considered the birth of the Snow Cruiser. It was here