In the depths of the sea: The new station allowing scientists to live underwater
While many dream of space exploration, the deep sea remains largely a mystery. Four decades after the last US underwater research lab, private company DEEP is launching the sophisticated Vanguard station, enabling scientists to live and work beneath the waves.
Many people dream of space exploration, but the world of the deep sea, which covers most of the Earth, remains largely a mystery. Now, four decades after the last underwater research laboratory began operating in the United States, a private company called DEEP is launching a new and sophisticated station named Vanguard, which brings scientists back to live underwater, as reported today, Friday, on CNN.
The new station is located on the seabed at the "Tennessee Reef" in Florida, at a depth of about 17 meters below the surface. It is designed to accommodate a group of four researchers for a week at a time. Their most urgent mission is to help restore the coral reefs in the area, which are severely affected by global warming and rising water temperatures.
In the past, underwater stations suffered from cramped and difficult conditions, including creative and embarrassing solutions for toilets that attracted curious fish. However, Vanguard offers a completely new standard: it is connected to a surface buoy that provides clean air and includes advanced systems for treating waste and greywater to protect the marine environment.
The great advantage of living in the station is the ability to perform "saturation diving." Instead of diving each time from the shore and being limited in time due to oxygen constraints, the researchers live under the water pressure of the depths. This method allows them to perform in just a few days work that would have required a whole month of regular dives, without losing precious time on ascent and recovery processes.
The new station is expected to host research teams starting this November, who will work in collaboration with universities and the US government. Beyond saving the corals, the station will also be used in the future for training astronauts, security research, and collaborations with artists and educators.
The entrepreneurs behind the project are planning future giant modular stations that will allow humans to live at enormous depths for entire months, in the hope of finally bringing to the depths of the sea what humanity has had for years in space: a permanent and continuous presence.
