Northwest Passage Drive Expedition

[citation needed] The expedition’s secondary objectives were scientific: to measure the thickness of the sea-ice along the Northwest Passage to document Climate change in the Arctic; to quantify the potential microbial forward contamination of future pressurized rover traverses on the Moon and Mars;[2][3] and to study the logistics of planning and implementing pressurized rover traverses on the Moon and Mars.

[citation needed] The Northwest Passage Drive Expedition took place in three stages over the course of three arctic field seasons, departing Kugluktuk on the North American mainland in April 2009, and ending at the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station on Devon Island in July 2011.

The HMP Okarian was originally a military ambulance Humvee on loan from AM General to Hollywood where it was featured in many films and TV shows, notably in The Rock (1996).

When the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition project was approved, the vehicle was called back to the AM General factory to be refurbished and modified to become the HMP Okarian.

The expedition departed Kugluktuk on 10 April 2009 but soon encountered difficulties with weather and thick snow cover on the sea-ice which slowed down progress and increased fuel consumption.

[citation needed] The 2010 campaign was led by Lee and included the same team members as the NWPDX-2009 expedition, plus filmmaker Jean-Christophe Jeauffre as documentary film director.

The expedition, including the HMP Okarian, eventually reached the west coast of Devon Island on 16 May 2010, at a location subsequently named Humvee Beach.

[citation needed] Although the expedition experienced a number of challenges, including an instance where the HMP Okarian was almost lost in a sea-ice lead, it was successful in achieving its primary goal of safely delivering the rover to the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station on Devon Island.