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Submersibles Slide Show
April 8, 2009 | 2 comments
Slide Show: Science in Depth--Mini Subs Unlock Mysteries Deep Below the Ocean's Surface
New, improved human-operated and robotic submarines promise to give scientists access to most of the ocean floor, a place less explored than the moon or Mars
By Emily Anthes
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CLICK TO ENLARGE + © WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
ALVIN:
Built in 1964 and still operational, Alvin is often considered to be the most productive submersible in history. Operated by Woods Hole, it can carry three people 2.8 miles (4,500 meters) below the surface, making nearly 65 percent of the ocean bottom accessible. It can carry 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) of samples from the seafloor and has made more than 4,000 dives—and carried more than 12,000 people—into the deep over the past four decades. Alvin has been used to recover nuclear bombs lost at sea and to make major contributions to scientists' knowledge of hydrothermal vents and the strange life-forms that live there. A $50-million, high-tech replacement for Alvin is in the early stages of being designed.
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