Unlocking the secrets of the sea
20.05.12
Between July 1 and Aug 18, this year, China's first independently designed manned deep-sea submersible Jiaolong conducted five diving expeditions across three sea trials in the Eastern Pacific.
During the expeditions, eight people completed 15 dives of over 4,027, 5,057, 5,188, 5,184 and 5,180 meters. Not only was this a new record in China's manned deep-sea submergence, but also a feat that made China the fifth country in the world capable of deep-diving techniques of more than 3,500 meters after the United States, France, Russia and Japan.
The achievement also meant that China's manned deep-diving submergence techniques are now on par with advanced global levels and capable of undertaking deep-sea activity in more than 70 percent of the ocean floors across the world.
Jiaolong has been designed for a maximum diving depth of 7,000 meters, while the scope of its working area can extend to over 99.8 percent of the global oceanic area. It has also achieved several technological breakthroughs.
Source: China Daily