Spaceship-Style Floating Lab In 2016

[Tyger]

This is an exciting possibility: particularly as the oceans are pivotal to the idea of planet management. Further, it explores the concept of contained living spaces. What they do in such labs could become the prototypes for more secure and livable space labs/ships. Also, actual small floating cities. When one really looks at it, we are so far from fully knowing our own world. There's a lot here to explore and understand.

Spaceship-Style Floating Lab Could Be Exploring Our Oceans In 2016
November 10, 2014 | by Justine Alford
LINK: Spaceship-Style Floating Lab Could Be Exploring Our Oceans In 2016 | IFLScience

TEXT: "Despite covering more than 70% of our planet’s surface, we know surprisingly little about Earth’s oceans. With more than 95% of the world’s underwater realm unexplored, scientists know more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than the bottom of the ocean. Due tointense pressures and poor visibility, the deep ocean is an extremely challenging place to study. But that could be set to change in the not too distant future, thanks to a pioneering architect’s ambitious project which will see a $50 million floating laboratory take to the seas."

 

[Constance]

I love the look and purposes of SeaOrbiter. I tried to post the artist's representation of the vessel/lab from the site you linked but it's not available from that site. I posted it earlier this year in another thread. Maybe I can find it again.

 

[Constance]

But here's a whole page of drawings, from Google Images:

SeaOrbiter - Google Search

 

[Constance]

http://www.engineering.com/Portals/0/BlogFiles/DesignerEdge/1113/SeaO3.jpg


Love this plan, noted down between -50 and -70 meters below sea level: “Marine animals themselves can be scout oceanographers and extend the observation range of SeaOrbiter."

 

[Tyger]

But here's a whole page of drawings, from Google Images:

SeaOrbiter - Google Search

Thank you, Constance. Great images. So cool. One of the early astronauts wound up doing deep-sea research after his astronaut stint was over - can't recall who it was, but his expressed view so many decades ago was that it was the oceans that were the real next frontier for humanity. The engineering of these platforms is in itself exciting. Those working with the possibility/probability (for whatever reason) of rising sea levels are exploring the idea of floating off-shore (small) cities. Makes perfect sense. The Venice(s) of the future. The sea-orbiters will be little cities in themselves. So much to learn.

 

[boomerang]

Thank you, Constance. Great images. So cool. One of the early astronauts wound up doing deep-sea research after his astronaut stint was over - can't recall who it was, but his expressed view so many decades ago was that it was the oceans that were the real next frontier for humanity.

Good trivia question. It was Scott Carpenter.

Scott Carpenter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carpenter and NASA parted on less than amicable terms for reasons not fully known.

 

[Tyger]

Good trivia question. It was Scott Carpenter.

Scott Carpenter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carpenter and NASA parted on less than amicable terms for reasons not fully known.

I didn't know that. Now I am very curious - any clues and/or theories about that?

 

[Wade]

I didn't know that. Now I am very curious - any clues and/or theories about that?

Scott Carpenter was one of the Project Mercury astronauts (Aurora 7 ? ) and on his mission he "screwed the pooch" (from The Right Stuff) at least in NASAs feelings, after reentry the vehicle, which was jam packed with scientific equipment and results got damaged by sea water due to scott extricating himself a little too soon rather than waiting for the navy to come pick him up and extracting him. if i recall I think many people thought his whole demeanor was a little flippant about the whole thing. He was pretty much floating around in his raft, and depending which sources you read i think was even described as seeming serene?

Because he was considered a hero NASA never really fingered publicly, but internally didn't really stand up for him either and he ended up being ostracized by his fellow astronauts. In their view, he panicked and thus didn't have the "right stuff".

The reason why this came to be was that i believe he made a navigational error and landed miles off course, I think there was also equipment malfunction as well with the reentry rockets. But i don't think there was ever any question about how long his rescue would be, apparently he acknowledged it, but still instead of waiting in the capsule he left prematurely exposing the equipment and experiment results.