China's manned submersible Jiaolong to attempt record dive

[ChineseTiger1986]

BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhuanet) -- China's manned deep-sea submersible, Jiaolong, will attempt a record dive of 7,000 meters below sea level in June.

Its mothership has already set off for the mission. If the attempt is successful, it means China will have the technology to navigate 99.8 percent of the earth's seabeds. Experts say utilizing marine resources is vital for China's long-term sustainable development.

Soon the Jiaolong deep-sea submersible will carry its two-man crew to depths no Chinese manned vessel has ever reached.

Seven thousand meters underwater, the vessel will have to withstand seven hundred times the pressure it does on land. Will it manage?


A marine expert Song Xiaojun says, "Technically, there's no problem for Jiaolong to reach a depth of 7,000 meters. The vessel is designed to dive even deeper. And it's passed all underwater pressure and communication tests."

Scientists have fitted a new pair of mechanical hands to Jiaolong to enable underwater operations. This time the length of the operation will be extended to over 10 hours, compared with the 2.5 hours operation it carried out just 1 year ago, when it dived to 5,000 meters.

If the operation is successful, China will have the technology to navigate almost any seabed on earth.

And what's the purpose?

Song Xiaojun also says, "The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, allocates several zones of the high seas to China for resource management. Those geographical zones contain ores and resources that can't be found on land. But most of these resources are located at depths as low as 6,000 meters, some as low as 10,000 meters. China needs the technology to utilize these resources, because energy is the key to the country's industrialization.

For 5,000 years, China predominantly focused on land-based resource management. Now research will also turn to sea exploration. The country has turned oceanic high-tech innovation into an emerging strategic industry.

Liu Cigui, director of State Oceanic Administration says, "The ability to develop oceanic-resource management is directly linked to the country's competitveness in a marine economy era."

Jiaolong's mothership has now set off to Jiangyin in east China. There, it will carry the manned-submersible to the earth's deepest trench, Mariana.

China's manned submersible Jiaolong to attempt record dive - Xinhua | English.news.cn

 

[KRAIT]

Can you provide the list of resources China can tap......thanks in advance...

BTW Congrats for this.

 

[shuttler]

Though the space journey of Shenzhou 9 and China's first female taikonaut have caught all the limelights, the following news is also a moment of great achievement by the deep sea submersible scientists and crew who set a new national record of diving 6,671-meter into the deep sea

Manned submersible rises after record dive
(Xinhua)
13:53, June 16, 2012

Manned submersible rises after record dive - People's Daily Online


China's manned submersible Jiaolong and its three divers rose from over 6,000 meters below the sea in the Mariana Trench after setting the country's deep-sea diving record on Friday.

The dive, which began at 9 am Friday, was the first of a series of six scheduled ones.

The dive went smoothly, with Jiaolong taking three hours to reach the depth of 6,671 meters at noon local time. The mark surpassed the 5,188-meter record Jiaolong made last July.

The vessel's three divers - Ye Cong, Cui Weicheng and Yang Bo - passed on their wishes for the successful launch of China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft scheduled on Saturday, while 6,055 meters below the sea.

Jiaolong threw ballast iron and began to rise at 12:44 pm local time. The three divers and the vessel were all reported to be in good condition.

Earlier, something had been reported going wrong with the submersible's No.1 communication system. However, the No.2 system worked soundly to guarantee communications between the vessel and Xiangyanghong 09, its mother ship.

The submersible rose to the surface at about 2:30 pm local time.

Jiaolong, depending on local weather and sea conditions, will attempt to make another five deeper dives in the coming days. The fifth and sixth dives aim to reach a depth of 7,000 meters.

The six dives, each of which lasts between eight and 12 hours, will test various functions and performances of the manned submersible at great depths.

To ensure the crew's safety, sea dives can only be made in daylight under less than four-class winds and less than three-class waves.

The Xiangyanghong 09 ship reached the designated dive zone in Mariana Trench - home to the world's deepest waters in the western Pacific Ocean - on Monday morning.

Jiaolong has enabled China to join the ranks of other countries including the US, Japan, France and Russia, which all have manned deep-sea submersible vessels. Jiaolong is capable of diving in around 99.8 percent of the world's oceans.

 

[shuttler]

China's manned submersible reaches 6,908 meters under sea
English.news.cn 2012-06-19

China's manned submersible reaches 6,908 meters under sea - Xinhua | English.news.cn


ABOARD XIANGYANGHONG 09, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Jiaolong, China's manned deep-sea submersible, made a second dive into the Mariana Trench Tuesday, setting a new national record by reaching a depth of 6,908 meters below sea level.

The dive, which started at 7 a.m. local time (2100 GMT Monday) after the leaking oil pipe of its hydraulic system had been repaired, is expected to re-check the hydraulic system and test various functions and the security of the submersible at great depths.

After setting a new national record in the Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean and the deepest part of the world's oceans, sea drivers are collecting water samples and placing markers on the sea floor.

Last Friday, the vessel reached 6,671 meters below the sea in the first dive, well surpassing the previous record of 5,188 meters made last July.

The Jiaolong will attempt four more dives, aiming to move deeper and deeper to pursue the goal of reaching 7,000 meters below the sea level between mid-June and early July.

The Xiangyanghong 09, the vessel's oceanographic mother ship, reached the designated dive zone in the Mariana Trench on June 11.

 

[qwerrty]

.................

 

[Roll in deep]

Congratulate