Exploring the Deepest Depths: A Novel Light-Tethered Hybrid ROV for Global Science in Extreme Enviroments

目前，世界上6500米以下的海洋几乎没有被勘探过。多种多样且难以接近的构造体制对地球和海洋科学中的一系列基本问题提出了重大问题。这些机制包括活动大陆边缘的深部地区，在那里发生大地震，并在俯冲的大洋岩石圈和岛弧复合体之间进行水文交换。这种交通工具的主要用途是，在主要在气候不适宜居住或冰盖海洋(如北极)的地理区域发现的超缓慢扩张的大洋中脊区域的海底深处。常规进入最深海洋深处的能力也对与海洋观测站和事件响应研究相关的广泛科学和工程产生重要影响，这些研究将在未来几十年探索3D和4D多学科问题。混合动力遥控潜水器将使科学界能够对来自联合国日内瓦办事处各种船只的海底火山和热液事件作出快速反应，从而可以根据11 000米高潜航器进行的详细的一级测绘和取样，设计和实施后续实验。此外，HROV将为美国提供具有国家战略重要性的搜索、调查和回收任务的全面全球能力。*

The world's oceans below 6,500 meters are presently virtually unexplored. Thesediverse and inaccessible tectonic regimes pose significant questions about a wide range of fundamental problems in the earth and ocean sciences. These regimes include deep areas of active continental margins where major earthquakes are generated and hydrologic exchange occurs between subducted oceanic lithosphere and island arc complexes. Deep access to the seafloor in areas of ultra-slow spreading mid ocean ridges, primarily found in geographic regions of inhospitable weather or ice covered ocean (e.g. Arctic), would be a primary use for such a vehicle. The capability to routinely access the deepest ocean depths also has important implications for a broad range of science and engineering associated with ocean observatory and event response research that will explore 3D and 4D multidisciplinary problems for decades to come. Hybrid ROVs will enable the scientific community to quickly react to ocean floor volcanic and hydrothermal events from a wide range of UNOLS vessels, whereby follow-on experimentscan be designed and implemented based on detailed, first-order mapping and sampling conducted by the 11,000 meter HROV. Moreover, the HROV will provide the United States with fully global capability for search, survey, and recovery missions of national strategic importance.***