Race To The End Tells Epic Tale Of Leaders, Challenges, And Consequences

Race to the End of the Earth recounts one of the most stirring tales in the annals of Antarctic exploration, the contest to reach the South Pole. This exhibition focuses on the challenges that the two leaders — Roald Amundsen on the Norwegian

side and Robert Falcon Scott on the British — faced as they undertook their separate 1,800-mile journeys from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole and back.

Dioramas, Photos, Artifacts and More Provide a Rare Look at the Race to the South Pole

Race to the End of the Earth vividly re-creates, through dioramas and period detail, how Amundsen and Scott prepared for their polar journeys. Nutrition, human endurance, equipment, logistics, and Antarctica's extreme weather were among the many factors that each team had to evaluate, often with far too little information to avoid tragedy and ensure triumph. The exhibition also spotlights modern science in the Antarctic and its potential.

Photographs, paintings, and rare historical artifacts from these expeditions place visitors in the midst of Antarctic exploration and research at the dawn of the last century. Highlights include clothing and equipment used by both crews during their journeys;

life-sized models of portions of their base camps; and a diorama featuring the largest penguin species alive today — the Emperor Penguin.

Hands-on, Interactive Features Show the Struggles of the Journey snd the Science of the Coldest Place on Earth

Hands-on activities help visitors of all ages understand what it would have been like to travel to the coldest place on Earth 100 years ago, as well as what it is like to conduct research there today. Visitors can choose a character card featuring a member of one of the expeditionary teams and, while moving through the show, find clues about the character's experiences on the way to the South Pole. With the aid of touch-screen exhibits, visitors can explore photographs, drawings, and documents relating to the expeditions and the men who went south with Scott and Amundsen.

The section on modern scientific studies in the Antarctic opens with a stunning video projection showing the rich underwater life that dwells in Antarctic waters. An interactive digital map of Antarctica allows visitors to scan the land that lies underneath the ice and to visualize ocean currents and weather systems. Visitors can also take a fun personality test to imagine how they might fare in an extreme environment over long periods of isolation.

Additional interactive exhibits and hands-on activities reveal what scientists are learning about Antarctica's ancient past and how people manage to live year-round in this forbidding yet fascinating place.