 |
|
NASA-funded robotic sub finds bottom of world's deepest sinkhole
June 01, 2007PITTSBURGH -- A robotic vehicle designed for underwater exploration plunged repeatedly into the depths of Mexico's mysterious El Zacatón sinkhole in late May, finding its previously undiscovered bottom 318 meters below the surface and generating a sonar map of its inner dimensions. The vehicle employed autonomous navigation and mapping systems developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute.
During a two-week NASA-funded exploration led by Bill Stone of Stone Aerospace, the Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer (DEPTHX) revealed that the geothermal sinkhole, or cenote, did not have a tunnel or any other obvious underwater connections with neighboring cenotes in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It also obtained numerous samples of water and the gooey biofilm coating the cenote's walls.
In addition to gathering information regarding geothermal sinkholes, DEPTHX tested technologies and methods that might be useful in other underwater explorations, including the long-term possibility of exploring the oceans hidden under the icy crust of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. For the near term, NASA recently approved a project that will use these technologies to explore underneath the ice of West Lake Bonney in Antarctica's Taylor Valley.
The DEPTHX vehicle, 2.5 meters in diameter, included 56 sonars that the Carnegie Mellon team used to determine the location of the vehicle as it explored the cenote. It also used the sensors to create maps of the sinkhole's interior via a technique called simultaneous localization and mapping, or SLAM. Prior to the DEPTHX field experiment, SLAM had been used for navigating in buildings and mines, but had never operated in an underwater environment or with such sparse sensor input.
Robots typically navigate by recognizing features, but cenote walls, while irregular, lack distinctive features. To overcome this challenge, DEPTHX had to navigate by recognizing a more global response from all of its sensors.
Wettergreen said demonstrating that SLAM could work in such a featureless environment suggests that it will have applications in environments with similarly sparse features, like rivers or mines.
Though initially operated on a tether, DEPTHX eventually operated autonomously, without a tether or human guidance, for eight hours at a time. "The fact that we never lost it, never required a rescue mission, is an achievement itself," Wettergreen added.
Carnegie Mellon University
Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud
This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size.
Sinkhole Current Events and Sinkhole News RSSGreat Lake's sinkholes host exotic ecosystems
Researchers are exploring extreme conditions for life in a place not known for extremes. As little as 20 meters (66 feet) below the surface of Lake Huron, the third largest of North America's Great Lakes, peculiar geological formations-sinkholes made by water dissolving parts of an ancient underlying seabed-harbor bizarre ecosystems where the fish typical of the huge freshwater lake are rarely to be seen.
Fossils excavated from Bahamian blue hole may give clues of early life
Long before tourists arrived in the Bahamas, ancient visitors took up residence in this archipelago off Florida's coast and left remains offering stark evidence that the arrival of humans can permanently change -- and eliminate -- life on what had been isolated islands, says a University of Florida researcher.
NASA-funded Robotic Sub Makes Final Dive To Reach Bottom of Earth's Deepest Sinkhole
Scientists this week begin the final leg of a five-year, NASA-funded mission to reach the bottom of Cenote Zacatón in Mexico, the world's deepest known sinkhole.
NASA mission explores world's deepest sinkhole
A NASA-funded expedition, including researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, will begin searching for the submerged bottom of Mexico's El Zacatón sinkhole with a robotic submarine the week of May 14.
Prototype Space Probe Prepares To Explore Earth's Deepest Sinkhole
Scientists return this week to the world's deepest known sinkhole, Cenote Zacatón in Mexico, to resume tests of a NASA-funded robot called DEPTHX, designed to survey and explore for life in one of Earth's most extreme regions and potentially in outer space.
NASA's robotic sub readies for dive into Earth's deepest sinkhole
An underwater robot, shaped like a flattened orange, maneuvered untethered and autonomously within a 115-meter-deep sinkhole during tests this month in Mexico, a prelude to its mission to probe the mysterious nether reaches of the world's deepest sinkhole.
Increase in severe poverty in the US has serious implications for public health
Since 2000, Americans have been getting poorer, and national rates of severe poverty have climbed sharply, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
NASA's Cassini Reveals Lake-Like Feature on Titan
Scientists are fascinated by a dark, lake-like feature recently observed on Saturn's moon Titan. NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured a series of images showing a marking, darker than anything else around it. It is remarkably lake-like, with smooth, shore-like boundaries unlike any seen previously on Titan.
More Sinkhole Current Events and Sinkhole News Articles
 |
Sinkholes by Sandra Friend (Author) What is a sinkhole? Far from being just a hole in the ground, a sinkhole is a very special type of phenomenon. Born of the interaction between water and rock, sinkholes appear anywhere rock dissolves easily. Some sinkholes happen gradually, the ground inside them slowly sinking over hundreds of years. Other sinkholes open up almost instantly. These are the ones you hear about in the news—the sinkholes that swallow houses and chew holes in highways. Though sinkholes exhibit several different characteristics, all sinkholes provide a cool, damp environment that supports different plants and animals from those in the habitats surrounding them. From the crystal-clear springs of Florida to the oases of the Arabian Desert, sinkholes create their own unique natural communities.... |
 |
Space Freak by Sinkhole |
 |
Sinkholes and Subsidence: Karst and Cavernous Rocks in Engineering and Construction by Springer Sinkholes and Subsidence will provide a twenty-first century account of how the various subsidence features in carbonate and evaporite rocks cause problems in development and construction, in our living environment. The authors consider the various methods used in site investigations, both direct and indirect, to locate the features associated with these associated hazards and risks, highlighting the value of hazard mapping. Various ground improvement techniques, such as grouting, and the special types of foundation structures which deal with these problems are covered towards the end of the book. This book is supplemented with a wealth of actual case studies and solutions, written by invited experts. |
 |
The Fabulous Sinkhole and Other Stories by Jesus Salvador Trevino (Author) In this collection of short stories by a noted film director and writer, Treviño gives us an off-beat and, at times, raucous vivion of life in the barrios of Arroyo Grande, Texas. "... Fabulous Sinkhole is a collection of stories set primarily in Arroyo Grande Texas, and each one is connected with the title story by a theme of accident versus coincidence. All of them contain lively, accesible language and demonstrate the author's very gifted sense for storytelling" (Starred Review from Booklist). |
 |
Sinkholes and Subsidence by Tony Waltham (Author), Fred Bell (Author), Martin Culshaw (Author), F.G. Bell (Author), Anthony C. Waltham (Author), Martin G. Culshaw (Author) Sinkholes and Subsidence will provide a twenty-first century account of how the various subsidence features in carbonate and evaporite rocks cause problems in development and construction, in our living environment. The authors consider the various methods used in site investigations, both direct and indirect, to locate the features associated with these associated hazards and risks, highlighting the value of hazard mapping. Various ground improvement techniques, such as grouting, and the special types of foundation structures which deal with these problems are covered towards the end of the book. This book is supplemented with a wealth of actual case studies and solutions, written by invited experts. |
 |
Core Sample by Sinkhole |
 |
Sinkhole feat. Tricky Pat (Original Mix) by Temper D Productions |
 |
USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map - Devils Sinkhole, Texas (Folded/Waterproof) by Offroute Perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and land-use professionals, this Offroute map is a waterproof and tear-resistant version of the most recent USGS paper map published for this area. USGS 7.5 minute topographic maps offer very detailed cartography. This map is one of nearly 54,000 maps it takes to cover 49 U.S. states. Each depicts elevations plus natural and man-made features such as; roads, trails and reservoirs. USE THE IMAGES ON THIS PAGE TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS THE MAP YOU NEED. We have provided three images to help you. The primary image is actual map imagery from the center portion of this map. The second image shows the entire area this map covers. The third image shows the searchable names and product codes for adjacent maps. HOW TO SEARCH FOR OTHER MAPS YOU MAY NEED:... |
 |
Adolf Friedrich Erdmann of Menzel (Follow »Radir tests," The Court of the sinkhole, the first condition) White Wood-Mounted Art Poster Print - 13" X 19" by Adam Hersh Posters |
 |
Goats at Sinkhole Framed Art Poster Print by Stephen Alvarez, 39x31 by Art.com Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |