Swimming With Astronauts Off The Florida Keys

Sea Technology, Dec 2006 by McLay, Scott, Cooper, Craig

Depending upon configuration, the buoyancy of the umbilical can be adjusted from slightly positive to negative based on the preference for any given job site. This reduces fatigue of both the diver and tender, improving overall efficiency. The components are "locked" into their spiral shape by the manufacturing process, and have no tendency to separate, eliminating loops that could become entangled and offering a major safety improvement.

The manufacture of a cabled umbilical is typically carried out by a vertical planetary system, enabling each of the independent components to he twisted around one another without applying torsion to the lay-up of the umbilical or cable. UI's new manufacturing facility in Stafford is equipped with a number of planetary systems, both of the vertical type for manufacturing diving umbilicals and the horizontal type tor the lay-up of the elements in electrical cables.

Bottom Time

Attached to the 120-ton baseplate at a depth of 62 feet. Aquarius' pressure chamber is located at a depth of 47 leet. At this depth, the pressure experienced by visitors to Aquarius is around 2.5 times greater than that of the atmospheric pressure found at sea level. Ambient pressure is maintained in the habitat-meaning that the atmospheric pressure inside the habitat is equal to that of the surrounding water.

Visitors to Aquarius are able to spend up to 90 minutes before they must return to the surface. Otherwise, they have to undergo decompression on Aquarius.

A typical astronaut training mission on Aquarius will last 10 days, requiring astronauts to undergo 17 hours of decompression before returning to the surface.

The decompression is carried out in Aquarius, after which the astronauts simply scuba dive hack to the surface to resume their life at normal atmospheric pressure.

Space Missions

The unique life-support umbilical from UI has already been used to assist the National Aeronautic and Space Administration in training astronauts for future missions into space. They have used Aquarius for walking, jogging, running, kneeling, fulling (and recovering), picking up rocks, shoveling and climbing ladders. Data is gathered from these training missions to assist in the design of new spacesuits for future missions. These missions could be manned flights to the moon. Mars or extended stays on the ISS.

Recent astronaut training carried out at Aquarius was a critical element in planning the installation of Japan's experiment module Kibo. The Kiho will be transported to the ISS in parts on three space shuttle flights scheduled to begin in late 2007.

As the frontiers of space continue to be explored, the ocean will continue to play a key role in preparing astronauts for the new challenges they experience as they travel further from home, /st/

For more information on this subject matter, visit our Web site at www.sea-tcchnology.com and click on the title of this article in the Table of Contents.

By Scott McLay

General Manager/Vice President

Umbilical International