The only thing preventing thisfrom having been accomplished in the past was the lack of a compelling reasonand the cost of course. Sir Richard hasdecided to take up the challenge and will get us the necessary hardware.
This should soon provide us asteady stream of deep sea information from the deep which I suspect holds a lotof surprises for us.
It is poorly understood that wehave barely penetrated much below ocean contact with the deep. This will give us the means to do so.
With the right hardware, it willstill be a lot easier than space ever will be and we now are well equipped intaking our environment with us. Thiscould turn out to be very exciting.
Virgin Oceanic has a submarine to go to the bottom of the Ocean
APRIL 06, 2011
Richard Branson has unveiled a Hawkes submarine that will go thebottom of 5 oceans. The company believes that it will set as many as30 world records with each dive being the world’s first solo dive to the bottomof the five deepest trenches in the world. Branson also said he plans to createa larger submarine that can hold more people and offer trips to tourists for asizable fee.
The Virgin Oceanic submarine represents a transformationaltechnological advance in submarine economics and performance. The submarineprovides the currently unequalled capability to take humans to any depth in theoceans and to truly explore. It utilises the latest in composite technology anda completely unique flying wing to literally fly within the Ocean environment;creatures living here such as dolphins, whales and rays have shown us thiswinged approach is the best and most elegant way to range the seas. Thesubmarine is many times less expensive to manufacture and operate than any ofits less capable counterparts and is in harmony with its environment.
The submarine was originally commissioned by Sir Richard’s close friend andfellow adventurer Steve Fossett who had intended to complete the first solodive to the depths of the Mariana Trench.Sir Richard intends to finish what his friend started and then go on to help exploreand unlock the wonders of the Oceans still unknown to humankind or science.
The vehicle is a unique design made from 8,000 pounds of carbon fibre andtitanium. The pressure at the bottom of the deepest trench is over 1,000atmospheres – the quartz dome alone is under 13 million pounds of pressure, theweight of three space shuttles.
Designed by Graham Hawkes, it is the only piloted craft in existence that has‘full ocean depth’ capability. The one person sub has an operating depth of37,000ft (7 miles) and is capable of operating for 24hrs unaided. Once fullydescended, the submarine’s hydroplanes (the equivalent of wings for submarines)and thrusters will allow it to ‘fly’ up to 10km over the ocean floor whilstcollecting video and data, something submersibles could only dream of.
At these depths, each individual part of the sub must be able to withstandenormous pressures, 1500 times that of an aeroplane, and protect its pilot fromthe extreme conditions just inches away. As Sir Richard and Chris each pilotthe sub to the bottom of our planet, they will be aware that should anything gowrong, there is no rescue team that can reach them; whilst backed up by amission crew, once at depth, the pilot and craft are alone. Full pressuretesting will be conducted over the next three months.
The craft will cruise at a max of 3 knots and can dive 350ft per minute. Atthat speed, a dive to the bottom of the Marianna trench and back is estimatedto take about five hours.
The carbon fiber and titanium craft will be capable of cruisingfor about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) and can stay down unaided for 24hours. The sub and its accompanying catamaran cost an estimated $17 million.
Branson said his so-called Virgin Oceanic expedition will have ascientific and educational purpose. He hopes the voyages will help to educatethe public about mankind's impacts on the world's oceans and marine life.
He is partnering with Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego,Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Moss Landing Marine Labs inNorthern California as well as other research institutions. Scientists hope tostudy the tectonic plates and eventually use lander vehicles to bring backwater, microbes and possibly small creatures from the ocean depths.
"We have 800 pounds of moon rocks and not one drop from the bottom of theocean," said Alex Tai, Virgin Group director of special projects.
The dives willbe dangerous and the pilots will likely be down in the dark and cold oceandepths for hours will little communication with the outside world. Rescues willbe impossible, Welsh said. Still, he was clearly more excited than wary of theprospect, saying there is a magic to exploring new places.
"It's like going to the moon and having the lunar rover to explorearound," Welsh said.
The dives also will be recorded and uploaded to Google Earth, said John Hanke,the Internet search engine's vice president of product management.
"Our mission for Google Earth is to create an interactive virtual globeand enable users to visit places that they've never explored, including theworld's oceans," he said.
The submarine originally was commissioned by Branson's close friend and fellowadventurer Steve Fossett, who died in 2007 while flying a plane over the
Last year he unveiled a three-person submarine called the Necker Nymph, whichis available for $2,500 a day for guests of his private resort in the
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