SeaOrbiter: French architect and oceanographer Jacques Rougerie has spent more than 30 years researching underwater environments. He even created a design firm for the purpose. But his project is very ambitious. Drawing inspiration from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, SeaOrbiter is a floating laboratory that is 58 meters high - with a space simulator and an underwater garage. Is it feasible? Time and above all money will tell.
The SeaOrbiter has been under development for most of a decade. It is intended to move using a combination of solar and wind power. Rougerie wants his vessel to be sustainable and unobtrusive to ocean ecosystems as much as possible. It requires a crew of at least 18 people, who will serve in observing life above and below the water, managing the collected data, and also monitoring the seabed with submersibles that can be used to collect samples. Additionally, the submerged part of the craft includes habitat simulators intended for studying how humans could cope with long-term underwater voyages. The goal and vision of the craft is to explore the world's oceans, of which 95% remain unexplored.
The only obstacle that remains is funding. Rougerie managed to raise $466,000 via crowdfunding from the French website KissKissBankBank, but the total cost to build the SeaOrbiter is about $48,000,000. If funding is found, the vessel will start being built by the end of 2016. The photos are nevertheless stunning!
