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Can anyone who knows something about this industry answer a question? I know nothing about it and I was surprised to read about this situation because I would

Can anyone who knows something about this industry answer a question? I know nothing about it and I was surprised to read about this situation because I would have assumed a submersible would be in fairly constant sonar contact with its surface vessel. I would've thought it would be followed a rigidly planned route and its location relative to the surface ship would be well understood at all times, i.e. "you are 3508.3m below us, 340m east, 233.1m south." How does a submersible "get lost"?

xwdv 3y ago
The sea is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. The only thing bigger is space.
- userbinator 3y ago
  It is recommended to take a long cruise if you want to see just a tiny piece of it, and indeed even that experience is mind-boggling for the first time. That said, seeing nothing but water all around, as far as the horizon, can trigger intense fear in some people.
- windowshopping 3y ago
  Sorry but this doesn't really answer my question. I know the sea is vast. Yet we are able to navigate it consistently. Why is this vessel unable to stay in contact with its parent and relay its relative location?
  - xwdv 3y ago
    You know the communication equipment failed right? I’m not sure what you expect. You know radio signals don’t travel through water?
  - muspimerol 3y ago
    > I know the sea is vast. Yet we are able to navigate it consistently. I'm not an expert, but I think this is an incorrect assumption. We can navigate it decently on the surface (even then, plenty of ships sink/go missing each year [1]) but underwater is a whole different story. > Why is this vessel unable to stay in contact with its parent That is kind of the big question here. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_2022
  - typon 3y ago
    2D vs 3D navigation is a categorical difference.
rgovostes 3y ago
Think about all the methods used throughout human history to determine location. Looking toward distant mountain ranges, determining the positions of the stars, measuring shadows cast by the sun, receiving signals from GPS satellites... none of those work underwater. The support vessel relies on acoustic pings to track the submersible. If the submersible stops responding, or is out of detection range, you'd have no idea where it is. "Rigidly planned route" is not really the case either. You're not going to drop in at the exact same GPS coordinate, and there might be currents that push you.
- windowshopping 3y ago
  > The support vessel relies on acoustic pings to track the submersible. If the submersible stops responding, or is out of detection range, you'd have no idea where it is. Sure, but you'd know the last location, wouldn't you? Especially if it's pinging at least once a minute? And if the craft failed, surely they would just set down on the floor nearby, not travel miles in a random direction sideway.
  - nocontextpls 3y ago
    [dead]

xwdv 3y ago

The sea is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. The only thing bigger is space.

userbinator 3y ago
It is recommended to take a long cruise if you want to see just a tiny piece of it, and indeed even that experience is mind-boggling for the first time. That said, seeing nothing but water all around, as far as the horizon, can trigger intense fear in some people.
windowshopping 3y ago
Sorry but this doesn't really answer my question. I know the sea is vast. Yet we are able to navigate it consistently. Why is this vessel unable to stay in contact with its parent and relay its relative location?
- xwdv 3y ago
  You know the communication equipment failed right? I’m not sure what you expect. You know radio signals don’t travel through water?
- muspimerol 3y ago
  > I know the sea is vast. Yet we are able to navigate it consistently. I'm not an expert, but I think this is an incorrect assumption. We can navigate it decently on the surface (even then, plenty of ships sink/go missing each year [1]) but underwater is a whole different story. > Why is this vessel unable to stay in contact with its parent That is kind of the big question here. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shipwrecks_in_2022
- typon 3y ago
  2D vs 3D navigation is a categorical difference.

rgovostes 3y ago

Think about all the methods used throughout human history to determine location. Looking toward distant mountain ranges, determining the positions of the stars, measuring shadows cast by the sun, receiving signals from GPS satellites... none of those work underwater. The support vessel relies on acoustic pings to track the submersible. If the submersible stops responding, or is out of detection range, you'd have no idea where it is. "Rigidly planned route" is not really the case either. You're not going to drop in at the exact same GPS coordinate, and there might be currents that push you.

windowshopping 3y ago
> The support vessel relies on acoustic pings to track the submersible. If the submersible stops responding, or is out of detection range, you'd have no idea where it is. Sure, but you'd know the last location, wouldn't you? Especially if it's pinging at least once a minute? And if the craft failed, surely they would just set down on the floor nearby, not travel miles in a random direction sideway.
- nocontextpls 3y ago
  [dead]