The oceans cover more than 70 % of the earth's surface, but we know less about their depths than on the surface of the moon. However, these ecosystems play a key role in climate regulation, oxygen production and biodiversity. Today, an ambitious initiative, named Deep, wants to allow humans to stay there over long periods, no longer as a simple explorer, but as a resident capable of studying the underwater environment of the interior.
An underwater laboratory to explore the oceans
The ambition of the Sentinel project is to push the limits of underwater exploration. He must offer researchers a habitat capable of withstanding the pressure of the great depths while ensuring new comfort. It is designed to accommodate occupants up to 28 days to 200 meters deep. This submarine habitat will constitute a mobile and adaptable scientific station.
Before its deployment in the open sea from 2027, it will be tested in a former flooded career near Chepstow. This 20 hectare site used to serve as a diving center. This research campus will be used to train scientists and technicians who will live aboard Sentinel. This should guarantee that they are ready to evolve in an environment where every detail counts, from water pressure to keen living conditions.
Aerial view of the Deep site. © Richard Varcoe/Deep
According to Mike Shackleford, Director of Deep Operations, this initiative meets an urgent need to better understand the marine environment. An area still largely unexplored, he reminds the Guardian.
“” In the 1960s, there was a race between space and the ocean, and space won. However, the oceanographers will tell you how little we know our own planet. It's time to remedy it ».
Unlike the Aquarius Reef Base, the only current operational underwater station, Sentinel wants to be modular and delocalizable. It can be deployed in various regions to study deep ecosystems, monitor the effects of climate change, explore historical wrecks or serve as training for astronauts in extreme condition.
Advanced technology to live in depths
It is obvious that living underwater at depths of 200 meters imposes extreme technical constraints. In particular concerning resistance to colossal pressures and energy autonomy. To meet these challenges, Sentinel is built in an inacl. It is a nickel -based alloy used in aerospace and in the nuclear industry. It has the capacity to support high pressure and marine corrosion conditions. Its structure is produced by metal additive manufacturing. This advanced technique involves six 3.5 -meter high robots. They print in 3D the layers layer by layer. This method allows on the one hand to reduce production waste. On the other hand, it optimizes the shape of the habitat for maximum resistance. Finally, it allows the integration of structural reinforcements directly into the design.
Equipment of the Deep manufacturing plant in Avonmouth, England. © Mark Griffiths/The Observer
Access to housing is designed to minimize the risks linked to saturation diving. Two methods will be used. Either a submarine will come directly to a pressurized entrance. Either the divers will access the habitat by a “moon pool”, a submerged opening allowing them to enter and go out without requiring immediate decompression. Habitat will be completely autonomous in energy thanks to wind turbines and floating solar panels.
It will store electricity in high capacity batteries. The connection with the surface will be ensured by a Starlink satellite system, guaranteeing access to data and communications in real time. For Sean Wolpert, president of Deep, this technology marks a revolution. He explains to Cnn : ” We want Sentinel to be for the ocean what the international space station is for space ».
Form the first inhabitants of the oceans
Living in an underwater habitat like Sentinel requires rigorous physical and mental preparation, far beyond traditional diving skills. In Deep Campus, an intensive training program, over 12 to 18 months, will be set up to train future residents. It will obviously combine saturation, adaptation to confined environments and management of the physiological effects of pressure. Occupants will have to learn to evolve in a limited space, without alternating natural day, and to manage emergency situations such as oxygen breakdowns or pressurization problems.
Phil Short, outside the life -size replica of the Sentinel habitat. © Mark Griffiths/The Observer
Another major challenge concerns physiological and psychological impact. Under high pressure, the body undergoes changes. The perception of tastes changes, sleep cycles can be disturbed and communication with the surface remains limited. To improve the comfort of residents, Joe Costa, project chef, has developed a suitable diet. It favors more intense flavors to compensate for the alteration of pressure -under pressure. Among the dishes designed specifically for Sentinel: gratin onion soup, braised beef with red wine, truffle and pudding with spices. Costa insists on the importance of nutrition in these extreme conditions:
“” Food plays an essential role in the morale and the performance of the inhabitants. We must ensure that meals are tasty and comforting ».
A strategic and environmental issue
The installation of submarine habitats like Sentinel meets major strategic issues, particularly in the safety of submarine infrastructure. Today, more than 95 % of global internet traffic passes through underwater cables. Just like a significant part of energy flows via gas and oil pipelines. These critical infrastructure is exposed to accidents, natural disasters and sabotage acts, as evidenced by the sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.
Governments and industries see Deep an opportunity to monitor and maintain these facilities continuously. And without depending on underwater robots or temporary dives. Habitat could also serve as an advanced basis for naval forces and oceanographic research teams. Deep would serve as a strategic support point in key areas.
Beyond geopolitical considerations, Sentinel represents a major scientific advance for the study of deep ecosystems. Currently, most underwater research is based on short missions. In question: diving constraints or the capacities of submersibles. Bill Dennison, oceanographer at the University of Maryland, explains: “ When you plunge for a few hours, we only have an instant in underwater life. Living on site would allow us to understand how ecosystems work in the long term ».
This approach is inspired by the work of NASA. The agency has been using the Aquarius Reef base in Florida to lead its astronauts to space missions for decades. The confined environment, the management of limited resources and the psychological adaptation of the occupants offer precious parallels with the life in space station.
Towards a new era for humanity?
The dream of living underwater is not new. Jacques Cousteau had already experienced underwater life in the 1960s with his Conshelf habitats. But we abandoned the idea for the benefit of spatial exploration. With Deep, this ambition resurfaces, carried by technological advances and a renewed interest in the oceans.
An impression of artist of the Sentinel submarine housing. © Deep
Sentinel perhaps marks the beginning of an era where humans will no longer just sail on the surface. But she will settle in the heart of the abyss. As Dawn Kernagis, researcher and former member of the NASA underwater mission points out: “When you live underwater, you discover a parallel world, with its rules, its rhythms, its beauty. Once you have tasted it, you only have one desire: go back. ”
Source: Deep
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