Robot sub aims for deepest ocean

BBC ^ | 6 May 2009 | Jonathan Fildes

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A robotic submarine is undergoing final preparations to dive to the deepest-known part of the oceans. If successful, Nereus will be the first autonomous vehicle to visit the 11,000m (36,089ft) Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean. Only two other vehicles have ever visited the spot before, both of them human operated. The $5m submarine will make the attempt in late May or early June after a series of increasingly deep dives. “ From 6,500m to 11,000m metres Nereus has the field pretty much to itself ” Ian Rouse National Oceanography Centre "Instead of jumping directly into the deep end of the swimming pool with the vehicle, we'll probably dip our toe in first," said Andy Bowen of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and one of the designers of Nereus. "We'll work at 1,000m, 4,000m, 8,000m and then take a deep breath and see if we can get to 11,000m." Ian Rouse, head of the deep platforms group at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, described the project as a "great technical challenge". "Below 6,500m deep (21,325ft) there are vehicles that can do a better job than Nereus due to its compromises in design," he told BBC News. "However from 6,500m to 11,000m Nereus has the field pretty much to itself." Other teams, notably the British, French, Russian and Japanese will be watching the mission "with interest". "The Nereus team [is] very experienced in designing and building other underwater vehicles, so I have no doubt they will succeed," said Mr Rouse. The tests will take place on a research cruise between the 23 May and 6 June. Deep records The Challenger Deep is the deepest-known part of the ocean, located in the Marianas Trench near the island of Guam in the west Pacific.

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Mysteries Of The Deep.

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Yes and you do realize it is easier to get to the moon, than the bottom of the ocean.