In the fifties of the last century, it was a turbulent era, and the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were at the height of the Cold War. The rivalry between the two sides is not limited to the political and military spheres, but also spreads from the ground all the way to the vastness of space. Every country wants to show its strength and scientific and technological achievements in various ways, and space exploration has become an important stage for this competition.
At that time, the Soviet Union's rocket technology was unique in the world, thanks to a genius rocket expert named Korolev. His wisdom and innovation allowed the Soviet Union to maintain its leading position in space exploration. In 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, a feat that shocked the world and gave the Soviet Union an important lead in the space race.
Subsequently, in 1961, the Soviet Union achieved a major feat in human history - manned spaceflight. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to set foot in space, a feat that not only earned the Soviet Union a high reputation internationally, but also further cemented its leading position in the space race.
At the same time, the United States is also in full swing in space exploration. Although the Soviet Union achieved a series of important achievements, the United States did not give up the pace of catching up. They invested a lot of money and manpower in the hope of closing the gap with the USSR in space technology as soon as possible. Although there seems to be a certain gap between the two sides in the space race, this gap is not insurmountable.
At that time, the competition between the Soviet Union and the United States was everywhere, from the bustling city to the quiet countryside to the vast expanse of space, every field became the stage for their competition. It seems that only the cold and desolate Antarctic continent has not been touched by them for the time being.
However, the former Soviet Union did not let go of this opportunity. In 1957, they took decisive action and took the lead in establishing three research stations on the Antarctic continent. These three research stations are like three bright flags, flying high in the ice and snow world of Antarctica, declaring to the world the sovereignty of the Soviet Union over this land.
When the United States learned of this, they were clearly a little caught off guard. Because at that time, there was an international convention, that is, whoever was the first to plant the national flag on unclaimed land meant that he had sovereignty over that land. And the United States, because of its slightly slower response, allowed the Soviet Union to seize the opportunity.
This makes them very anxious. They know that the Antarctic continent, despite its harsh environment, is rich in resources and scientific value. More importantly, it is also a symbol, a symbol of national honor and strength. If the Soviet Union was allowed to gain a foothold on the Antarctic continent, their global influence would be further expanded.
The United States, as the superpower at the time, naturally did not want to see this precious land fall into the hands of other countries. As a result, it began to strategize, uniting most countries around the world to discuss countermeasures. After a period of intense preparation, an important document called the Antarctic Convention was finally born.
The Convention clearly states that Antarctica is the common heritage of mankind and that no country or individual has the right to appropriate it for itself. This statement resonated widely at the time, after all, no one wanted to see such a precious continent monopolized by a single country.
Of course, the Soviet Union also played an important role in this contest. Although it was somewhat reluctant to sign the convention, it had to compromise under pressure from most countries around the world. After all, it knows that in this day and age, it can't fully control Antarctica on its own.
The signing of the "Antarctic Convention" has made the United States breathe a sigh of relief. After all, with the guarantee of this international agreement, the mysterious ice and snow continent of Antarctica is no longer a battlefield of disorderly competition, but has become a common stage for scientific research and exploration of all countries.
But even so, the United States has not relaxed its attention and preparation for Antarctica. After all, it was during the Cold War, and the United States and the Soviet Union were in full swing for hegemony, and neither of them wanted to lose the upper hand in the other's field.
In order to take the lead in scientific research and exploration in Antarctica, the United States has been intensively making preparations. They know that Antarctica is covered with ice and snow all year round, and the environment is harsh, and they must be fully prepared to enter here for scientific research and exploration. So, after a year or two of careful preparations, the United States finally sent its own scientific expedition team in 1959.
This scientific expedition can be described as well-equipped and powerful. They were on the most advanced icebreaker of the time, the Eltanin. The ship not only had a strong ice-breaking ability and was able to carve out a passage in the glaciers of Antarctica, but also carried a large number of supplies and scientific personnel, as well as very advanced scientific instruments at the time.
When the icebreaker "Eltanin" arrived at the designated inspection site, the members of the scientific expedition team began to work intensively and orderly. To study the situation on the Antarctic seabed, they decided to drop a deep-sea photography device from the ship. This device was one of the most advanced technologies of the time, capable of photographing the depths of the seabed.
When the photographic equipment was slowly lowered into the icy water, the expedition team members held their breath. They knew that the shoot would reveal the mysteries of the Antarctic seabed. As the camera equipment gradually dived, the scene of the seabed gradually unfolded in front of their eyes.
However, when the photographic equipment dived to the bottom of the sea at a depth of about 4,000 meters, the members of the scientific expedition team suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Because they found that in the bottom of the sea, there was a huge mysterious antenna! This antenna was so huge that it seemed to be a mysterious device that fell from the sky. Since it was found on the icebreaker "Eltanin", this antenna was later called the "Ertanin antenna".
According to preliminary estimates, the antenna is at least 150 meters long, as if a giant dragon is sleeping on the icy seabed.
At that time, the only countries that could afford to drop such a huge antenna to the bottom of the sea were the United States and the Soviet Union. And the Americans quickly ruled out the possibility of themselves, because the research ship Ertanin was going to the South Pole for the first time, and they did not have the opportunity and time to bury such an antenna on the seabed. Well, there is only one remaining possibility - the USSR.
The Soviet Union was a scientific and technological powerhouse in that era, with powerful deep-sea exploration and delivery technology. What's more, the Soviets arrived on the Antarctic continent earlier than the Americans, and they had plenty of time and opportunity to drop this antenna on the ocean floor. If the Soviets had known about the Americans' scientific expedition plans, it would have been entirely possible for them to lay out in advance and drop antennas here.
However, this puzzled the Americans: Why did the Soviet Union expend so much energy to drop such an antenna on the Antarctic seabed? Does it spy on American research ships? This seems unnecessary, because after all, the mission does not involve military secrets. So, what kind of secret is hidden behind this antenna?
In order to unravel this mystery, the Americans invested a lot of manpower and material resources and conducted research for 5 years. They analyzed the structure and material of the antenna, trying to find out the real purpose of the Soviets dropping it. However, in the course of their research, they did not find any valuable clues, and this antenna is like a silent mystery that can never be solved.
In order to unravel the mystery, the Americans decided to resort to a tactic that they called "throwing stones and asking for directions." The meaning of this strategy was to speculate on their true intentions by releasing some information and seeing how the Soviets reacted. In this way, they hoped that the Soviet Union would be in turmoil and show its feet. So, through a third party, they passed on this photo of the antenna to the Soviet Union.
When the Soviet side got this photo, they were also confused. They don't know why the Americans are showing them the picture, or what the Americans are trying to do. At that time, the lines of communication between the United States and the USSR were not smooth, and each side was on guard against the other. The Soviets feared that this might be a trap for the United States and wanted to trap them.
As a result, the Soviet side also decided to adopt the strategy of "throwing stones to ask for directions", but the "stones" they chose were a bit bigger. They directly made public the photo of the "Ertanin antenna", a move that immediately attracted the attention of the whole world.
When the Americans saw this photo, they were also taken aback, they did not understand why the USSR did this. Wasn't this antenna placed by the Soviet Union on the bottom of the Antarctic Sea? So, who is its owner? What is its purpose?
Since this photo was taken by Americans, it is their responsibility to explain the matter. In order to eliminate the impact of this incident, the United States finally claimed that the huge antenna was actually a seabed creature called a "Kline's sponge".
The explanation of the Americans is not entirely convincing to everyone. Although the Kline's sponge bears some resemblance to the Ertanin antenna in appearance, a closer look at the photos shows that there are distinct differences between the two.
The Ertanin antenna is like a sheet of metal, with straight lines and no bends, which is not the case with Kline's sponge. In addition, it is also a little confusing that the length of the Kline's sponge does not meet the standard of 150 meters for the Ertanin antenna, which raises doubts about the authenticity of this similarity.
So, who exactly placed this antenna, and what is its real purpose? This mystery has been bothering people for a long time, and the answer has not yet been found. Perhaps, it was just part of a secret Cold War-era program, carefully hidden in the deep sea, waiting to be discovered one day. Perhaps, the antenna had a special purpose, but for some reason, the secret was kept.
Regardless of the truth, this mystery has become an important puzzle in the history of the Cold War, attracting countless people's curiosity and speculation. Despite a lot of research and analysis, scientists have not been able to fully unravel the mystery. Perhaps, it will continue to be a suspense, waiting for future explorers to reveal its truth.