A tractor train facility was developed to supports major deep-field scientific missions such as iSTAR- an ambitious scientific programme funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Full details about the facility are here.
The six-year, £7.4 million programme is organised into four main research projects — each uses state-of-the art technologies to make new discoveries about the ocean or the ice.
![Anna Hogg (PhD student from Leeds University) walking past the living module during the iSTAR traverse across Pine Island Glacier PIG](https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1ab03e81529dc7309af84865182c6771_1435301264-e1435301369249-736x205.jpg)
![tractor train traverse](https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/land-train-pics-15-736x111.jpg)