Флоридагийн тэнгисийн дархан цаазат газарт байрлах “Vanguard” хэмээх усан доорх байгууламж ашиглалтад орж, эрдэмтэд далайн гүнд удаан хугацаагаар ажиллах боломжтой боллоо.
2021 онд үүсгэн байгуулагдсан DEEP компанийн бүтээсэн “Vanguard” байгууламжийг далайн мандал дээрээс удаа дараа шумбах шаардлагагүйгээр, 17 метрийн гүнд судалгаа хийх зориулалтаар Тэннэссийн шүрэн хаданд суурилуулжээ. Энэхүү байгууламж нь дээж цуглуулах болон түүнийг далайн гүний даралтын нөхцөлд шууд шинжлэх боломжийг судлаачдад олгодог. Дээжийг гадаргуу руу гаргах үед даралт өөрчлөгдөж, эс болон эд эсийн бүтцэд нөлөөлөх нь судалгааны үр дүнг бууруулдаг гол хүчин зүйл болдог тул уг төсөл нь шинжлэх ухааны чухал ач холбогдолтой юм.
Тус байгууламж нь “ханалтын шумбалт” (saturation diving) технологийг ашигладаг бөгөөд шумбагчид бие махбодоо азотоор ханах хүртэл даралтад орчинд байснаар олон долоо хоног, сараар гүнд ажиллах боломж бүрддэг. Акванавтууд мини-шумбагчаар дамжин нэвтэрч, байгууламжийн доторх даралтыг гадаад орчинтой ижил түвшинд тохируулдаг байна. Шумбагчид өөрсдийн бие даасан агаарын баллон ашиглахын оронд байгууламжаас шууд холбогдсон агаарын хангамжаар хангагдаж, гадна орчинд хэдэн цагаар ажиллах боломжтой.
DEEP компанийн Шинжлэх ухааны судалгааны захирал, НАСА-гийн NEEMO 21 номлолд оролцож байсан Доун Кернагис тус байгууламжийг судалгааны гол цэг болгон ашиглахаар төлөвлөж байна. Эрдэмтэд уг байгууламжид шүрэн хадны нөхөн сэргээлт, хүний бие махбодын эрс тэс орчин дахь хариу үйлдэл болон шумбагчид усан доорх роботуудтай хэрхэн хамтран ажиллах талаар туршилт судалгаануудыг хийх юм. Түүнчлэн тус байгууламжийг Флоридагийн тэнгисийн дархан цаазат газартай хамтран шинжлэх ухааны болон экологийн зорилгоор ашиглах юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Living on the seafloor might sound like science fiction, but it has just become reality in the Florida Keys. DEEP’s new underwater habitat, called Vanguard, is now operational and will soon welcome its first crews of aquanauts for scientific missions beneath the ocean’s surface.
Installed 17 meters (56 feet) underwater at Tennessee Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Vanguard is designed to let researchers stay underwater for several days instead of making repeated dives from the surface. The habitat is the first operational project from ocean engineering company DEEP, which was founded in 2021.
One of the first people expected to live inside Vanguard is Dawn Kernagis, DEEP’s director of scientific research. He previously took part in NASA’s NEEMO 21 mission and studies how the human body responds to extreme environments.
Bringing the Lab Closer to the Ocean
For marine researchers, one of the biggest challenges begins the moment a sample reaches the surface. Changes in pressure can quickly affect cells and tissues, making it harder to study organisms exactly as they were on the seafloor.
As reported in a DEEP release, this problem is one of the main reasons Vanguard was built. Scientists will be able to collect samples and examine them almost immediately without bringing them all the way back to the surface first.
“When a sample gets brought to the surface, it decompresses,” Dawn Kernagis said. “So you’re not really seeing what that sample was like at depth.”
The habitat is also fitted with sensors that continuously monitor underwater conditions, even when no crew is living inside. DEEP says it is working closely with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary so the habitat can support both scientific studies and reef restoration efforts.
What It’s Actually Like To Live Underwater?
Life inside Vanguard depends on careful pressure control. Crew members arrive by mini-submersible while the habitat is pressurized to match the surrounding seawater. After everyone is inside, the vessel is sealed and slowly decompressed overnight until the pressure inside is similar to what people experience on land.
Before heading back into the ocean, the process is reversed. The habitat is pressurized again, allowing divers to leave through a moon pool, an opening beneath the structure that provides direct access to the surrounding water.
The report said that Vanguard supports saturation diving, meaning divers remain under pressure long enough for nitrogen to build up in their bodies. Because of that, they do not have to decompress after every dive.
“It’s like you’ve been SCUBA diving for a really long time, and your tissues and your blood gets saturated with nitrogen,” Kernagis explained. “Once you’re saturated, you could stay down there for weeks, months at a time.”
Instead of carrying scuba tanks, divers use an umbilical air supply connected directly to the habitat, allowing them to spend several hours working outside.
A Habitat Focused on Science
Although Vanguard has attracted attention for its unusual design, its mission is straightforward. Researchers will use the habitat to study both the surrounding reef and the people living inside it. DEEP also aims to better understand how divers can work alongside underwater robots, including autonomous and remotely operated vehicles.
“One of the things we’re really interested in looking at is human machine teaming,” Kernagis noted. “How do divers in the water intersect with robots.”
The project also involves partners from the subsea engineering, aerospace, defense, and commercial underwater sectors. One of them, Triton Submarines, points to possible recreational and commercial interest in underwater habitats.
At this stage, Vanguard is being used exclusively for research. Kernagis said DEEP is partnering with the National Marine Sanctuary to ensure the habitat provides the greatest possible scientific value while supporting reef restoration efforts.
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