The hare-brained 'lab on wheels' Snow Cruiser was built to cross 5,000 miles of ice… before mysteriously disappearing FOREVER

MORE THAN 70 years ago, the groundbreaking Snow Cruiser was abandoned in Antarctica – and to this day it remains the continent's biggest mystery.

The 37,000-ton monster truck, designed to transport a team of elite explorers over 5,000 miles, was left to rot after scientists realized it was not up to the task.

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In 1939, US President Roosevelt assembled an elite team of Antarctic explorers to be sent on a daring mission to the center of Antarctica. Antarctica – the South Pole.

Before 1939, only two expedition teams had survived the harsh conditions to get there – and only one had survived.

The 14 million square kilometers of ice fields and polar mountains, combined with harsh temperatures, meant that explorers had struggled for years to explore the mysterious land.

Temperatures in Antarctica can drop below -80 degrees Celsius and winds can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

But in 1940, a team of five brave explorers set out on a mission in a cruiser—a self-sustaining 37,000-ton wheeled laboratory—for a year.

The 'Penguin', as it was known, would take off from the US base near the Ross Ice Shelf and plow through the ice while scientists inside collected data.

Explorers could do that sleepstudy and eat in the cruiser as you travel 5,000 miles of ice.

The incredible machine cost $150,000 to build in the 1930s, which is more like £2.6 million today.

It was a feat of masterful engineering for the time – even equipped with its own aircraft on the roof to conduct aerial surveys.

Its four enormous wheels, powered by an early diesel-electric powertrain, allowed the cruiser to cross ice crevasses up to 15 feet wide at a speed of 30 miles per hour.

It provided space for the crew to sleep and work, with its own kitchen and spare supplies.

At the time, America had one research base on the coast, but competition for what was valuable oil and minerals buried beneath the ice sheets on the vast continent were fierce.

To establish a more prominent presence on the continent, the United States drew up plans for what would become one of America's most ambitious expeditions.

In 1940, American explorers shipped the massive cruiser to Antarctica to explore the South Pole, thousands of miles inland from their coastal research base on the Ross Ice Shelf.

Huge crowds waved goodbye to the cruiser as it made its way from Chicago to Boston, where it would be transported by ship to Antarctica.

But heavy rain had proven to be a serious problem for the tank, which was designed to plow through rough terrain.

In an embarrassing twist, the cruiser became stuck in heavy mud for three days during its voyage to Boston, causing one of the largest traffic jams at the time.

When it finally reached the icy continent, the cruiser had suffered another accident.

Built in just 11 weeks summerthe Cruiser put its wheels on the snow for the first time in 1940.

The vehicle struggled to move through the rugged terrain, but instead sank further into the snow.

The team would later realize that the tires produced more traction when moving in reverse.

And with enormous effort, the machine would be driven backwards 150 kilometers until it was turned into a research station.

In light of World War II, the explorers gave up the now stationary research center and returned home.

It was sighted again in 1946 and required only minor repairs to make it operational, but was used as a shelter before being abandoned again.

It was found years later, in 1958, buried under 20 feet of snow, where it had lain so many years earlier.

In fact, the inside of the massive vehicle was perfectly preserved, with research papers and crew cigarettes still scattered throughout the cabin.

But it would disappear again for 66 years, its whereabouts still unknown.

In 2005, two dedicated researchers made their assessment of where the Snow Cruiser might be found.

According to their paper, the cruiser separated from the Ross Ice Shelf sometime in 1962 and likely drifted along the coastline.

From there, the ice supporting the machine would have slowly eroded, bringing the cruiser to a halt at the bottom of the ocean.

So the cruiser is still somewhere in an area 15 miles wide, hiding underwater.

But most of the area is covered in ice, making it impossible to scan the waters.

Not all hope is lost, however, as researchers note that huge chunks of ice sometimes break off the shelf, making the area accessible.

Although the exact location of the Snow Cruiser remains a mystery, this discovery gives scientists hope that it may one day be discovered.

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