Deep-Sea HD TV

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is converting a 224-foot Navy ship into a science research vessel that will produce high-definition video from the bottom of the sea.

The USNS Capable will be the only ship with a dedicated science-class deep-ocean robot, or remotely-operated vehicle, or ROV, officials said this week.

In the image above, a similar ROV inspects the Titanic.

In the new setup, a tow sled will descend on 3.73 miles (6,000 meters) of cable. A hundred feet (30 meters) of separate cable will connect the tow sled to a mobile ROV that can take samples of the water, along with collecting other data and images. The cable will send data back and forth and provide power for bright lights.

Funds have been approved and the conversion is expected to be completed within 18 months.

Through high-speed Internet 2 connections, scientists onshore at special Science Command Centers will be able to exchange data and see deep-ocean images and specimens taken by ROVs at the same time as their counterparts on the ship.

"The ocean is so little understood that a good part of the ship's mission will be to just find out what's there," said Stephen Hammond, acting director of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration. "With 71 percent of the Earth covered by ocean, 'what's out there' is immense, and with 95 percent of that unexplored, unseen by human eyes, we have rich opportunities for exploration and research."

-- Robert Roy Britt

Image Credit: IFE/ URI /NOAA