Fabien Cousteau Ends Mission at Undersea Lab (Update) 2 July 2014
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Fabien Cousteau ends mission at undersea lab (Update) 2 July 2014 The crew dove June 1 to Aquarius to study climate change and pollution on a nearby coral reef. Cousteau is scheduled to talk with reporters Wednesday afternoon. Five things to know about Cousteau's undersea mission Fabien Cousteau comes from a famous family of filmmakers, advocates and ocean explorers, and now he's added to their legacy of sea stories a 31-day expedition at an underwater laboratory in the Florida Keys. Here are five things to know about Cousteau's "Mission 31," which ended Wednesday. Fabien Cousteau reacts as he returns to the dock after THE AQUANAUTS 31 days undersea in the Aquarius Reef Base, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, in Islamorada, in the Florida The French oceanographer spent 31 days living Keys. Cousteau and his team of filmmakers and and working underwater at Aquarius Reef Base. scientists dove June 1 to study the effects of climate Filmmakers and researchers from Florida change and pollution on a nearby coral reef. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) International University, Northeastern University and MIT also joined him for two-week-long stretches during the expedition. After 31 days undersea, Cousteau stepped off a boat wearing flip-flops and a beach towel wrapped around his waist, saying he was torn about leaving his underwater home, but he missed his family and friends. The French oceanographer and his team of filmmakers and scientists started decompression Tuesday afternoon inside Aquarius Reef Base, 63 feet (19 meters) below the ocean's surface. Because they've spent so much time underwater, Cousteau and his "Mission 31" crew needed to undergo roughly 16 hours of decompression inside the school bus-sized lab so that they could return to the surface without suffering the bends. They're Fabien Cousteau, standing by a hatch, clasps his hands set to return to the Aquarius command center in as he returns to the dock after 31 days undersea in the Islamorada on Wednesday morning. Aquarius Reef Base, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, in 1 / 3 Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. Cousteau and his team ofeffects of climate change and pollution on a nearby coral filmmakers and scientists dove June 1 to study the reef. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) effects of climate change and pollution on a nearby coral reef. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) FAMILY LEGACY AQUARIUS REEF BASE Cousteau is the grandson of ocean exploration pioneer Jacques Cousteau, who helped develop The 460-square-foot (140.2-meter) pressurized lab the advanced diving techniques used at Aquarius. sits 63 feet (19.2 meters) below the ocean's surface "Mission 31" was conceived as a nod to Conshelf II, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary with a 30-day underwater living experiment in the Red bunks for six. It's owned by the federal government Sea that the elder Cousteau filmed for his Oscar- and operated by Florida International. It allows its winning documentary "World Without Sun." inhabitants to scuba dive for up to nine hours without needing to resurface or undergo UNDERWATER PERSPECTIVE decompression. Aquarius isn't the only unusual vessel Fabien SCIENTIFIC PURPOSE Cousteau has employed to explore and film the oceans. For a 2006 documentary on sharks, he Cousteau says living underwater allowed the FIU built a shark-shaped submarine that he called Troy, researchers to do six months' worth of data which enabled him to closely observe real sharks gathering in two weeks. The researchers tested without scuba divers or shark cages. new sonar equipment that produces video without additional lighting, studied the relationship between More information: Online: Mission 31, predator fish with their prey and set up experiments mission-31.com/ on a nearby reef focused on the effects of climate change and pollution on nearby corals and sponges. © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Fabien Cousteau, right, is hugged by a member of his team as he returns to the dock after 31 days undersea in the Aquarius Reef Base, Wednesday, July 2, 2014, in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. Cousteau and his team of filmmakers and scientists dove June 1 to study the 2 / 3 APA citation: Fabien Cousteau ends mission at undersea lab (Update) (2014, July 2) retrieved 28 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2014-07-fabien-cousteau-mission-undersea-lab.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 3 / 3 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).