The Beatles would be proud to know that a yellow submarine (other than the one from their famous song) is about to enter history books by making repeated trips to the Mariana Trench, while having people aboard.
Triton 36,000, as this submarine is called, was designed to resist the tremendous pressure from the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean. Before it, only Bathyscaphe Trieste descended there, but this happened 50 years ago. Triton Submarines, the manufacturer of this luxury submersible, intends to change the fact that only about 5 percent of the underwater world has been explored until now.
The submarine accommodates two or three people in its air-conditioned transparent borosilicate glass dome, where surface pressure is preserved, regardless of the depth at which the submarine descends. Needless to say, the view is spectacular. The spheric shape is exactly what confers the submarine such a great resistance to great pressures. Rayotek Scientific, the manufacturer of the borosilicate glass dome, claims that this material is better than acrylic, in what concerns the strength and the resistance to deep sea pressures.
Movie director James Cameron has been known to have a soft spot for deep sea diving, even before filming Titanic. He also commissioned a submersible capable of diving at great depths, but apart from the facts that it will be made from composite materials and will be powered by an electric motor, not much is known about his submarine. However, as long as there will be competition for Triton 36,000, scientists will be encouraged to make more and more advancements.
The submersible designed and manufactured by Triton will hit the bar at approximately $15 million, which may be a plausible price, considering the technology and the materials used in the manufacturing process. Considering that it will be able to do repeated trips to the Mariana Trench, we may have a new class of tourists, in the near future. It certainly represents a great alternative to space tourism for anyone who can afford such extravagant trips.
If you liked this post, please check the Seabreacher X submersible watercraft and the FLIP research vessel.
Via: Discovery News
