China is to test a manned submersible capable of descending to 7,000 metres (23,000ft)* beneath the waves as part of a planned "deep-sea base project", the China Internet Information Centre reports.
Xinhua news agency is keeping tight-lipped on details, but notes that the submersible programme will enjoy "equal importance with China's space endeavours", as the State Oceanic Administration puts it.
The first phase of the mysterious base project is slated for completion by 2010, and it'll be equipped to carry out "deep-sea natural resource inspections as well as research and testing of equipment designed for deep-sea use".
THE underwater manned vehicle, the Jiaolong, was operated at 5,188 meters under the sea level, which has hit the new record in the country’s underwater study. Meanwhile, construction of the national deep sea base management center is also going according to schedule, preparing to offer facilities and services to vehicles.
The center has held two training events on the use and repair of the underwater manned vehicle in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province and 12 students from the center attended the training, said Liu Baohua, director of the center.
Meanwhile, a project on deep sea research by the center was also approved, receiving 15.72 million yuan in research funds.
“We also participated in several national key projects to improve our skills,” said Liu.
Design of the base has already been finished and is waiting for approval from the State Ocean Administration. Other preparation work, such as location selection and land planning, has finished.
The base will be built in Aoshanwei Town in Jimo. According to a research report, the base will cover 26 hectares of land and 62.7 hectares of sea. The total construction area is 24,526 square meters. Investment for the first phase of the project is 495 million yuan and will become a national-level public service platform for deep sea scientific research, ocean resources investigation and deep sea equipment development.
“The center will become an incubator for the country’s deep sea industry, providing technological support for the development of the blue economy in Qingdao and Shandong Peninsula,” said Liu.
China sets up base to speed up study of deep-sea energy resources
QINGDAO, Shandong, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China will build a multi-million dollar research base on its east coast to accelerate the study and exploration of deep-sea energy resources, officials said Thursday.
The base covers 26 hectars of the ground and 62.72 hectares of the sea in the coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong Province, and will serve as a ground support station for China's manned submersible vehicle "Jiaolong".
Engineers have started to design the research base whose initial construction cost is estimated to reach 495 million yuan (around 72.8 million U.S. dollars), said officials from Ministry of Science and Technology and State Oceanic Administration.
Scientists believe sea beds at a depth of 4,000 to 6,000 meters hold abundant deposits of rare metals and methane hydrate, a solidified form of natural gas bound into ice that can serve as a new energy source.
The submersible, designed to dive to a depth of 7,000 meters, managed to reach 3,759 meters beneath the sea level at test runs conducted in this May and June. Its name "Jiaolong" is a mythical sea dragon in Chinese.
China is the fifth country in the world to have conducted a manned dive to more than 3,500 meters below the sea level, after the United States, France, Russia and Japan.
China's ambitious ocean exploration program began in 2002 and has involved more than 100 research institutes and companies, officials said.
The development of the submersible and its support vessel, as well as the selection and training of the crew took six years, oceanic administration officials previously said.
The submersible "Jiaolong" would be used for deep-sea natural resources inspections, as well as research and tests of equipment designed for deep-sea use.
BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- A domestic submersible has reached a depth of 3,759 meters, making China the fifth country in the world to acquire deep-diving technology surpassing the 3,500-meter mark, authorities said on Thursday.
The Chinese submersible Jiaolong, which is 8.2 meters long and weighs nearly 22 tons, was designed to reach a depth of 7,000 meters and operate in most of the world's oceans, officials said.
Jiaolong is considered to be the world's only deep-sea vessel that can theoretically reach those depths. Japan's Shinkai 6500 has a depth capability of 6,500 meters.
The other three countries with deep-diving technology are the US, France and Russia.
A submersible differs from a submarine as it typically depends on another vessel or facility for support.
Jiaolong, with a crew of three, dived 17 times from May 31 to July 18 in the South China Sea, going below 3,000 meters four times. The deepest it reached was 3,759 meters. It operated at a peak duration of nine hours and three minutes and sent back videos and photos of the seabed.
In an experiment when it landed on the seafloor, it placed the Chinese flag and a sign depicting the legendary dragon's palace onto the seabed with a robotic arm.
"The successful diving trials of Jiaolong marked a milestone in our country's deepwater equipment and technology development," said Wang Weizhong, vice-minister of science and technology.
China started to develop the submersible in 2002. Work on the deep-sea vessel and its mother ship were completed after six years and involved about 100 institutions and companies nationwide.
"During the design and building stage, we overcame many technical difficulties such as pressure resistance, auto-control systems and battery capacity," Wang Fei, deputy chief of the State Oceanic Administration, said while introducing the submersible.
Jiaolong started its diving trials in August last year by going through depth stages.
"From last year's 50 meters, 300 meters and 1,000 meters to this year's depth of more than 3,700 meters, it is a great achievement. Such a depth means that Chinese scientists are able to conduct research in the deep. It also marks China becoming one of the few countries that possess manned deep-diving technology," said Liu Feng, chief director of the diving trials.
Lack of experience was the biggest difficulty faced in the trials, Liu said, adding that severe weather such as typhoons and storms also hampered efforts.
"We did pressure tests that simulated the environment at 7,000 meters underwater. That depth is our target. We will keep on trying deeper depths and finally reach the 7,000-meter goal," Liu said.
Ye Cong, one of the hydronauts on board Jiaolong, said he could sit in the vessel while the other two crew members could only stoop in the cabin.
"The air pressure in the cabin is the same as it is on the surface. I felt excited and nervous every time I went deep underwater," Ye said.
Ye said the team had just successfully completed the diving trials and it still had a long way to go before the submersible was applied to scientific research.
China's submersible development is aimed at scientific research to help with the peaceful exploration and utilization of natural resources, officials said.
Jiaolong's main missions include physical, chemical and biological research, as well as exploration and deep-sea salvage, officials said.
Submarino chino Jiaolong se ubicó segundo en record mundial de inmersión.
Aug 2nd, 2011 -El submarino tripulado de aguas profundas chino Jiaolong, realizó su quinta prueba de inmersión en el Océano Pacífico.
Durante las misiones anteriores del Jiaolong, la tripulación tomó fotografías y video, exploró el fondo del mar, y tomó muestras del suelo marino. El objetivo de las inmersiones de prueba es la realización de investigación científica y la prueba de las diferentes funciones del submarino. El buceo representa un desafío a su capacidad para soportar la presión del agua. La tripulación debe trabajar bajo el agua por seis a ocho horas en cada misión.
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