Slashdot Mirror
Submarine Tech Reaches For Deep Ocean Record
disco_tracy writes "US Submarines CEO Bruce Jones and his team have just announced that they've developed new technology for a submersible that could take ocean explorers 36,000 feet deep, to the bottom of the Pacific's Mariana Trench."
You've never been down there? It's amazing!
No sig today...
That's really impressive.
FTA: "They call it the pressure boundary," said Raggio. "It's the boundary between you and instant death."
Okay then, where do I sign up...?
No sig today...
I am surprised no one said "Transparent Aluminum" yet. "How do we know he didn't invent the thing?!"
Irony? Yea, it's like goldy and bronzy, only it's made of iron!
That's almost 11 kilometres for the rest of the world, about 95% of it.
Where is this "Mariana Trench"? Is it deep?
So I'm astonished that (they claim) they'll be able to make a FULL SPHERE of glass as opposed to some puny porthole.
Some questions:
A part (half?) of the sphere will have to be removed to allow people/things in and out (unlike "ecospheres") it can't be seamlessly sealed. Isn't that the most likely place of failure?
I assume there will have to be holes to allow power, cooling/heating, communications right? Another point of failure?
(Actually I read a story where some grad student had figured out a way of transmitting powe/communications THROUGH a submarine's metal hull using sonic waves.)
Where in the world will they test this thing to one and a quarter times the max. pressure? (And I thought engineering standards were to one and a half max.)
"We're going to repeat something that was already done 50 years ago, except we're be filing patents to stop anyone else doing it again. Click here to invest."
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Bad title considering that (as the article states in the first paragraph) Trieste made it to the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean (Challenger Deep in Mariana Trench) in 1960 with a crew of two. I'd say they have the record and since you can't go deeper...not sure it can be broken unless the ocean changes depth there.
Trieste info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe_Trieste
If you're in the DC area the Washington Navy Yard museum (open to the public) has Trieste hanging in the back (right next to Alvin -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSV_Alvin which was used to explore the Titanic). It's worth the trip if you're local or you've been to DC enough that you're not interested in going to the Air and Space museum again.
Museum visit info:
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org8_Visit.htm
However
http://www.rayotek.com/
are the ones who actually "developed" the tech, these guys are just (potential) customers of Rayotek (seeing as this craft hasn't been built yet)
props for making subs out of plastic that goto 3,000ft and managing to sell them, but all credit for the tech that goes to 36,000 ft should go to Rayotek
now build it :)
Didn't Richard Branson already announce plans to visit the deepest point of all the oceans, so I presume he already has the technology to do this?
Choose your allies carefully, it is highly unlikely you will be held accountable for the actions of your enemies
BLUE HADES is not going to be happy about this.
Just because you are paranoid does not mean that no-one is out to get you.
It would have been better had the simply built a drone craft, sent it to the bottom and THEN ANNOUNCED IT. That would have a dramatic impact. More importantly, it would enable a major push for them on new crafts.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
.. filled with lead.
Branson announcing plans and finding ways to execute them are two separate things. I'm sure he'll look at this too, but might be too expensive.
Insert
Or is it just another case of the editors not bothering to read the article OR research the basic facts ?
You must be new he...errr, nevermind.
How exactly can they plan to go deeper: go down and then dig?
The article indeed uses the word, twice even. Once in the title, and once in stating that submarines have a "good safety record" which is a different kind of record.
i.e. the article doesn't even hint at what kind of record is intended.
Going deeper than to the bottom of the worlds deepest trench, would be quite a trick. Do you suppose this new sub can submerge in geology ?
In 2003 scientists in Hawaii found other places in the Mariana Trench that are as deep as the Challenger Deep. Perhaps they could go there?
Its called the HMRG Deep
Link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3071749.stm
There is another place called the Tonga Trench that has some pretty low spots also. There is a good chance the the challenger deep isnt the deepest place in the ocean, in fact its depth has had to be adjusted numerous times. It has been measured at 35,760 ft, 36,201 ft , 35,840 ft. Its hard to measure something that deep, in that kind of environment, and be 100% the numbers aren't off even as much as 0.25%.
The Tonga Trench has been measured at 35,702.
The HMRG Deep has been measured at 35,209.
Either of those two spots can actually be lower then the Challenger Deep if there was the slightest error in the measurement.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
I can debate the fact that there may be deeper places in the ocean, in fact I think its likely.
Yes, but it was used in the article and in the title of the linked article. In fact the slashdot title, IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE TITLE IN THE LINKED ARTICLE.
You were being a pedant, and an asshole. I called you on it. I call you on it again. You do not have a leg to stand on for bitching at slashdot for the title. You are acting like a whiny known it all 12 year old. If you have an issue with the wording in the title then you should complain about the editors at the linked page, not slashdot.
That and you never countered my other two points, that perhaps its because no one has been there in 50 years, or the fact its a glass submarine.
I eagerly await your reply.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
You can hire a giant squid? AWESOME. The Bart Simpson in me wants to know *where*!
Visit http://ringbreak.dnd.utwente.nl/~mrjb/growingbettersoftware to download your free copy of the book
"You can hire some giant squid to come over with a sledgehammer and just start bashing away on that glass sphere. And it won't hurt it."
That's correct. The glass sphere won't hurt a giant squid.
TFA: "Borosilicate glass, also known as soda-lime glass..." That's like saying "Bronze, also known as brass..." The two are compositionally quite different.
Pyrex (R) is Corning's trademark for the borosilicate type and it is commonly used for laboratory ware, oven windows and such. It was also used for the big 200 inch (a bit under 5 meters) mirror at Mt Palomar.
Soda lime glass is the more common type used for windows and beer bottles. You can quickly tell the two apart by looking edge-on into the piece, soda lime glass has a greenish cast.
Obi-Wan: "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were sudden
I was going to say pshaw, *I* can provide "technology for a submersible that could take ocean explorers 36,000 feet deep".
It's called a rock, a big honking rock.
But metal will work too. Kudos to you sir!
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
Perhaps its because no one has been there since 1960.
So, doing something no one has done since 1960 is now a record?
I mean come on it's 2011 for cripes sake. We went nearly that deep back in the 60's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe_Trieste
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
Humans may only be the objects of their research. But yet again, my cat shows who is actually in charge in this universe.
Have gnu, will travel.
You need some eye bleach (NSFW)
The bitter lessons of a veteran coder: http://bitterprogrammer.blogspot.com
The hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle "Nereus" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereus_(underwater_vehicle) and http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=10076 uses ceramic ball technology for buoyancy, and it's been down in the Challenger Deep, so the idea of a ceramic ball withstanding the pressure is credible. However, Nereus uses a large number of little ceramic balls, not one large (people-holding) ceramic ball, so there is some testing to be done, I think!
From the article:
Rayotek CEO Bill Raggio: "You can hire some giant squid to come over with a sledgehammer and just start bashing away on that glass sphere. And it won't hurt it."
I'm sold. If there's anything I fear more while in my personal sub than sharks with head-mounted-lasers, it's hired squids wielding sledgehammers.
Also those homeless sperms whales that approach your sub at the intersection and want to squeegee your front porthole for spare change are annoying too.
Shameless plug for my photos on Flickr
I don't think there are any giant squid that deep. Just little critters.
While giant squid are considered deep sea creatures, that means something like 3000 ft., not 36,000 ft.
...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
has some submarine patents related to it. Thank you, thank you!
It's gettin' nice and heavy...
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
"According to the measurments"
So your telling me that all of the trenches have been mapped with the latest gear? The most accurate gear? If thats so, how come they are still finding ultra deep holes as recently as 2003.
I question the comparison of the numbers, multiple different types of equipment have been used to map underwater. Frankly I think it would be rather difficult to take the numbers found by one study, and compare them to another without adjustments for the accuracy of the different types of devices that have been used to gage depth.
Ohh and millions? WTF that makes no sense... everything Ive seen says thousands. in fact 34885171 = 6607.039 mi. Your telling me the trench is over 6000 MILES deep? Pass the blunt this way dog.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
"By the way, that is millions of feet, not thousands (34,885,171)."
Huh? That would be over 6000 miles, which would be roughly 50% greater than the radius of the earth.
...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
Ahh ok, I was about to completely discount your post due to that.
The only point I'm trying to make is that we are not 100% certain thats the lowest point. It is recognized as the lowest point but there are other points that are awfully close, and vast swaths of ocean not fully mapped.
Ill refer to your sites later (at work), thank you for the links.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
I hope you dont mind if I steal that. :-)
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
If you look you will see that there is a tube with a guide rope going through it. It was not suspended but looks as if it was guided along an cable that was anchored to the sea floor and probably a buoy on the surface.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
It'd be terrifying to go that deep but it's amazing that it might be possible.
"Don't teach a man to fish, feed yourself. He's a grown man. Fishing's not that hard." - Ron Swanson
it's not a good excuse for a journalist or an editor that "someone else said so first".
When publishing a story about a "new record" it's not a stretch to *read* the source to figure out which record is meant. And if the source actually completely fails to even make a *claim* of any record. (it does not, infact, include any information whatsoever on which record is claimed) then yes, you're doing a sucky job as an editor if you just repeat "record!", not even knowing yourself what record is meant.
"Some guy on the internet claims that something he plans to do in the future will break some record or other. He also talks about diving!"
isn't a good story.
Frankly your stretching.
This is a news aggregator, no one here (as a general rule of thumb) actually writes the news. The purpose of this site is so we can gather and have a place to discuss the news. Which frankly as far as I'm concerned has one of the best commenting systems Ive ever seen.
If Slashdot had writers in their employ you would have a point. You rail against the editors here, but from what Ive seen the editors job is more of a super mod or something. They have never actually edited submissions unless it was an extremely glaring error.
You and everyone else that comes here and bitches about the editors whenever you can find the slightest problem don't seem to realize that the editors don't care about your whining. Do you and everyone else actually expect the editors to comb through each and every submission making sure that every word used is the 100% correct word, so that 100% of the users will be happy? Because that apparently is what you want. (Yes, I started a sentence with "because", you'll live.) You're a pedant with words so everyone else has to be? Sounds like know it all 12 year old mode again.
If Slashdot went through that much effort, then front page news would slow to a crawl, and people like you would STILL find something to bitch about in the summary. You can't make everyone happy all the time.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.