Credit: Virgin Oceanic
NEWPORT BEACH: British billionaire Richard Branson unveiled plans to pilot a ‘flying’ mini-submarine to the deepest points in each of the world's five oceans for the first time.
The single-seater Virgin Oceanic craft will start with the deepest of them all in the western Pacific later this year, to carry out surveying, mapping and sampling in the region. Most of the oceans’ trenches have only been explored with robotic vehicles, if at all.
"More men have been to the Moon than have been down further than 20,000 feet," said Branson, announcing the Jules Verne-style project at Newport Harbour, south of Los Angeles.
"With space long ago reached by man, and commercial spaceflight tantaliSingly close, the last great challenge for humans is to reach and explore the depths of our planet's oceans," he said.
First trip to Mariana Trench
Branson will share piloting duties with U.S. sailor and explorer Chris Welsh, the chief pilot of the winged, Space Shuttle-shaped submersible, in the five dives planned over the a two-year period.
If plans go well and pressure testing of the mini-sub succeeds, the first will be taken by chief pilot Welsh into the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, which goes down to 11,033 m, later in 2011.
Branson, back-up pilot on the first trip, will then pilot the red, white and blue sub to the Atlantic's Puerto Rico trench, which has never been explored before at 8,605 m.
Leaks mean certain death
If successful in reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench, it would be following in the wake of the U.S. Navy's lumbering bathyscaphe ‘Trieste’, which got there on 23 January 1960. No-one has been back since.
The comparatively tiny Virgin sub can ‘fly’ with a ‘completely unique flying wing’ for up to 10 kilometres at the bottom of the ocean, and operate autonomously for up to 24 hours, while filming never-seen marine life.
Welsh said the potential risks of the adventure are enormous. To withstand pressures of up to 1,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, the craft is made from 8,000 pounds of carbon fibre and titanium, with a quartz viewing dome.
"No leak is tolerable. A leak would cut through stainless steel or human flesh and mean certain death," he said. "The depth is beyond the capabilities of any other craft, so rescue is impossible. "It's like being on the dark side of the Moon," he added.
Salute to Mr. Branson!
Wish other billionaires in the world to invest in such fields. Let's understand mother earth and the cosmos around it. It's only possible if rich people come forward with such innovative starts.
Salute to Mr. Branson
I have admired Richard's intuition and innovative curiosity that stretches mankinds' limitless boundaries of exploration of our marvelous universe. For the benefit of all mankind, why not all work together. Forget the differences of 'own' cultures/religions, make PEACE and unite and backup insightful Mr Richard Branson and other wise peaceful identities, for all our worldly good. S.Wain