The first step in the Deep Sentinel program, one of the most ambitious ocean-engineering projects in decades, will be completed this year. This initial step, called Vanguard, will shelter three aquanaut-scientists at depths of 100 meters. Eventually, the project will create a modular underwater habitat system that will let scientists live underwater for weeks at a time.
    • Chaotic EntropyEnglish
      9•2 days ago

      What part of the opening rationale was incomprehensible?

      “With current diving at 150 to 200 meters, you can only get 10 minutes of work completed, followed by 6 hours of decompression. With our underwater habitats we’ll be able to do seven years’ worth of work in 30 days with shorter decompression time. More than 90 percent of the ocean’s biodiversity lives within 200 meters’ depth and at the shorelines, and we only know about 20 percent of it.”

        • Chaotic EntropyEnglish
          6•2 days ago

          Humans are the ones tooling and retooling these units for specific purposes, which can be done far more efficiently in situ in an underwater habitation. Along with any other human activities that will be occurring, such as immediate study in a dedicated lab facility.