Explorer of the Extreme Deep
Oceans cover
more than two-thirds of our planet. Yet, just a small fraction of the underwater
world has been explored. Now, Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle that will
carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters (21,320 feet). The new machine, known as
a manned submersible or human-operated vehicle (HOV), will replace another one
named Alvin which has an amazing record of discovery, playing a key role in
various important and famous undersea expeditions. Alvin has been operating for
40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters (14,784 feet). It’s about time for an
upgrade, WHOI researchers say.
Alvin was launched in 1964. Since
then, Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year, says Daniel Fornari, a
marine geologist and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI.
During its lifetime, Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more
than 3,000 dives. A newer, better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more
surprises about a world that is still full of mysteries, Fornari says. It might
also make the job of exploration a little easier. "We take so much for granted
on land," Fomari says. "We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things
are. We can see colors, special arrangements."
Size-wise, the
new HOV will be similar to Alvin. It’ll be about 37 feet long. The setting area
inside will be a small sphere, about 8 feet wide, like Alvin, it’ll carry a
pilot and two passengers. It will be just as maneuverable. In most other ways,
it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view, for one thing.
Alvin has only three windows, the new vehicle will have five, with more overlap
so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thing.
Alvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second, and its
maximum speed is 2 knots ( about 2.3 miles per hour), while the new vehicle will
be able to ascend and descend at 44 meters per second. It’ll reach speeds of 3
knots, or 3.5 miles per hour. |
