A Carestream DRX-Transportable System is on its way to Antarctica as part of the latest expedition led by polar explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The expedition will attempt to cross Antarctica in winter—a passage of nearly 4,000 kilometers, mostly in complete darkness and in temperatures as low as -90°C.

Carestream’s system will be on hand to provide diagnosis in case of medical emergencies. The DRX-Transportable includes the wireless detector, electronics, wireless access point and a tablet PC in a portable carrying case. Carestream Health’s distributor in the UK, BCF Technology, has donated the source generator for X-ray capture.

This first ever trans-Antarctic winter expedition also attempts to raise $10 million for “Seeing is Believing,” a global charitable initiative to fight avoidable blindness.

On the equinox of March 21, 2013, the six expedition members will begin their six-month journey to reach the Ross Sea. Their route from the Russian base of Novolazarevskaya (Novo) to Captain Scott’s base at McMurdo Sound—via the South Pole—will test the limits of human endurance. During this time the expedition team will be entirely self-sufficient as there is no search and rescue facility available, and aircraft cannot penetrate inland during winter due to darkness and risk of fuel freezing.