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Sir Richard Branson plans to pilot a mini-submarine to the bottom of one of the planet's deepest oceans in his latest record-breaking adventure. www.facebook.com The death-defying feat is part of a joint mission with an American sailor to go where no man has been before - and explore the deepest points in each of the world's five oceans in a single-seated Virgin Oceanic sub. Announcing the project today in Newport Beach, California, the British entrepreneur and explorer said he was looking forward to learning more about 'the blue heart of the planet.' Sir Richard will take it in turns with US sailor and explorer Chris Welsh to pilot the snub-nosed submersible for five dives planned over a two-year period. The first dive - the deepest - will take place in the western Pacific later this year. On their journeys to the bottom of the sea, Sir Richard and Mr Welsh will spend up to 12 hours in complete darkness and freezing cold in the submarine's tiny ****pit. It has been built to withstand the extreme pressure found 36000 feet below the surface, which is 1500 times the pressure exerted on an aeroplane. The eight-foot long craft, made of carbon fibre and titanium, has stubby wings and a ****pit. It can cruise for about 6.2miles and can stay submerged without help for 24 hours. Sir Richard said: 'With space long ago reached by man, and commercial space flight tantalizingly close, the last great challenge for humans is to reach and explore the depths of our planet's oceans ...
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