Rescue is organizing to save the five passengers on the Titan, a submarine missing at sea since Sunday while exploring the wreckage of the Titanic. To participate in the rescue operations, the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) sent one of its ships, the Atalante, to the site.
>>> Follow live the search for the Titan, the submarine that disappeared at sea on Sunday
The boat should arrive at the search site this Wednesday night around 8 pm But more than Atalante itself, what is most expected is the robot it transports: the Victor 6000.
Regularly modernized since its launch in 1999, the device is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). It operates within the framework of surveillance and exploration missions, study of areas that require video-acoustic inspection or to carry out physical-chemical manipulations and missions at great depth, details the Oceanographic Fleet.
A great panoramic image
The Victor 6000 is connected to the surface by an 8,500-meter cable, allowing it to travel as deep as 6,000 meters. That’s enough to carry out the search for the Titan submarine, which is almost 4,000 meters away. Among the nine people necessary for its operation, two are assigned to piloting: the first controls a joystick as a pilot, the second acts as a coordinator.
The device can carry up to 100kg on each of its two mechanical arms, according to Ifremer. Using two ultra high definition cameras, it allows the team on the surface to have a large panoramic image transmitted on a single screen.
Once underwater, the Victor 6000 will have a range of 72 hours to find the Titan. But the vehicle will have to operate much faster. The submarine that disappeared on Sunday can only theoretically stay underwater for 96 hours. Therefore, the five passengers will arrive without oxygen on Thursday.
To assist you in your investigation, the remotely operated device will be able to rely on regular shots detected in the depths. It remains to be seen if these noises really come from the Titan and will allow the Victor 6000 robot to be guided to the castaways.
Source: BFM TV
