Our country's second research icebreaker (破冰船), Xuelong 2, has begun its first journey, an important part of China's 36th Antarctic expeditions (南极考察). As the first homebuilt research icebreaker, Xuelong 2 has joined its sister ship, Xuelong.
Xuelong 2 is 122.5 meters long and 22.3 meters wide. With a top speed of 27.8 kilometers per hour, the icebreaker can travel more than 37，000 km in a single journey. And it can support 90 passengers for up to two months.
Qin Weijia, the director of polar (极地的) research, said, "The purpose of Xuelong 2 is to master the influence of Antarctic changes on the world and improve China's ability to deal with climate changes. It's very important for our country's scientific research in the polar area."
However, finishing such a task is never easy. According to Wu Gang, the main designer of Xuelong 2, it took about 10 years to design and build the ship. In order to build a perfect icebreaker, designers must have a full understanding of the area's conditions. Some designers even stayed in the area for 70 days. "The weather is bad, and there are many ice holes and dangerous animals. You have to have very great courage to fight against them，" Wu said. However, the designers never gave up. Thanks to their hard work, the designers finally accomplished(完成) the design and completed the ship.
The researchers will stay on the ship for quite a long time. Will they get bored? Maybe not. Xuelong 2 was designed with the researchers' comfort in mind. The researchers have the same life at sea as on land. There is a gym on the ship where researchers can do exercise. But they need to fight against the cold while exercising.
