The Navy seeks schools to raise awareness of the scientific and logistical work of the "Hespérides"

This initiative has been connecting students with the vessel since 2021, bringing polar research and Navy missions into classrooms across Spain.

With the recent departure of the Oceanographic Research Vessel (BIO) "Hespérides" from the Arsenal of Cartagena, the Navy begins, for the fourth consecutive year, a new cycle of video conferences aimed at bringing its work closer to young people throughout Spain. This initiative will allow elementary and secondary students to learn in real time about the scientific and logistical work that the "Hespérides" will carry out during its XXIX Antarctic Campaign.

The "Hespérides" set sail this Wednesday, November 20, to begin an oceanographic mission as part of the XXIX Spanish Antarctic Campaign, a project serving R&D+I that results from collaboration between the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and the Spanish Polar Committee, involving various national and international scientific institutions.

The campaign includes the opening and closing of the Spanish Antarctic Bases "Juan Carlos I" and "Gabriel de Castilla," as well as conducting five scientific research projects in the seas adjacent to the icy continent. Over its 222 days deployed, the "Hespérides" will visit ports in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, before returning to Cartagena in June 2025.

During its deployment, the Navy will connect the "Hespérides" with schools and high schools so that students can interact directly with its crew onboard. These video conferences aim to inspire young people and show them the role of the Navy in research and the preservation of the marine environment.

The last edition of this initiative included participation from centers across Spain and memorable moments such as the video conference between the "Hespérides" and the Diocesan School "Las Viñas" of Teruel, where the writer Javier Sierra, 2017 Planeta Prize winner and former student of that center, joined the students in a unique encounter.

This activity reinforces the Navy's commitment to spreading culture and science, bringing its most emblematic missions closer to new generations anywhere in our geography.

The Navy invites all interested institutions to join this unique experience.

Applications can be sent to: comunicacion@fn.mde.es.