The "Exploration No. 1", which once caught lionfish and hook shrimp in the deep sea of ​​10,000 meters, has completed a new mission

On the afternoon of January 26, the "Exploration One" research vessel of the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences completed the sea trial application of the ship-borne deep-towed equipment and returned to Sanya smoothly.

Source: CCTV News

Source: CCTV News

Sun Kelin, a senior engineer at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the sea conditions in the South China Sea are poor in winter. We seized the brief window of time when the sea conditions improved recently and completed the sea trials of the deep-towed equipment before the Spring Festival, laying a solid foundation for the coordinated scientific research of manned and unmanned submersibles after the festival.

A deep-towed submersible is an unmanned submersible that combines one or several oceanographic survey instruments and installs them on the same towed body. The towed body is sunk to a predetermined depth to reduce the impact of the water on survey accuracy. It can serve scientific fields such as seabed topography and landform surveys and seabed resource development and utilization.

From June 22 to August 12, 2016, the "Exploration One" research vessel carried out the first comprehensive 10,000-meter deep-sea scientific research activity in the history of my country's marine science and technology development in the Mariana Trench. This is another milestone in my country's marine science and technology after the successful 7,000-meter sea trial of the "Jiaolong". Deep-sea creatures such as lionfish and gammarus were also captured.

Source: Xinhuanet

Source: Xinhuanet

What is "Exploration One"?

"Tanxiang No. 1" belongs to the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is a 4,500-meter manned submersible mother ship and a scientific research vessel with general deep-water scientific research and marine engineering application capabilities. "Tanxiang No. 1" has a displacement of 6,250 tons, a length of 94.45 meters, a main engine power of 12,000 horsepower, and a cruising range of more than 10,000 nautical miles.

What equipment does "Exploration One" have?

According to the crew of the scientific expedition team, the ship is now equipped with 11 laboratories, including a comprehensive laboratory, an electromechanical laboratory, a geological laboratory, a geophysical laboratory, a chemical laboratory, and an instrument analysis room. It has also been equipped with a deep-sea operation winch system, a depth sounding system, a sediment collection device, a seismic air compressor system, and auxiliary machinery such as gantries and cranes, and has the ability to carry out deep-sea scientific surveys and experiments.

Source: China News Service

What did "Exploration One" do last year?

In 2021, the "Exploration One" completed two voyages, four voyages, and a total of 121 days of marine scientific research operations, among which the "Struggler" completed a total of 51 dives. After the manned submersible enters the routine operation and maintenance stage, the Deep Sea Research Institute will promote the deep-sea scientific research form of manned and unmanned collaborative operations.

Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences website

What new “skills” will “Exploration One” have in the future?

In the next few years, Tansuo-1 will promote the coordinated operation of manned submersibles and unmanned equipment. In other words, in the future, there will be manned submersibles and unmanned equipment on Tansuo-1. For example, the deep towing in this sea trial will also have AUV (autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle) and ROV (remote control underwater robot) in the future. Through the coordinated operation of the two types of submersibles, the advantages are complemented and the efficiency of scientific research is improved.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhuanet, CCTV News, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China News Service, etc.