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July 22, 2011

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Jiaolong set for deepest mission

CHINA'S deep-sea submersible, Jiaolong, reached a depth of 4,027.31 meters in a warm-up dive in the northeast Pacific Ocean yesterday in preparation for today's 5,000-meter challenge.

The vehicle returned to its mother ship, Xiangyanghong No. 9, after a five-hour test run, during which it surpassed its deepest dive of 3,759 meters set last year. The three-man crew sent back photos they took during yesterday's dive.

The 8.2-meter-long vessel, mainly made of titanium, is due to carry out four missions including today's 5,000-meter dive.

Jiaolong began its a journey to the dive site between southeastern Haiwaii and North America on July 1.

It will take photos, shoot video, survey the seabed and take samples from the ocean floor under a contract signed between the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association and the International Seabed Authority.

Jiaolong completed 17 dives in the South China Sea between May 31 and July 18 last year. It is designed to reach depth of 7,000 meters and is now the world's deepest-diving manned submersible. China is one of just five nations with manned submersibles that can dive below 6,000 meters, joining the United States, Russia, France and Japan.

The world record dive by a manned submersible was set by the now retired US Navy's Trieste in the Mariana Trench when it reached 10,916 meters below the surface in 1960.




 

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