A space station which is UNDER water!

| Read time: 4 minute(s)
A space station which is UNDER water! Curaçao Ever wondered why there are more humans who have ventured into space than those who have explored the deep trenches on earth? The answer is simple. It’s much more complicated. And much more difficult to stay alive under water. Now a duo have come up with an ambitious plan to create an underwater research station and a habitat! Sixty feet beneath the surface of the Caribbean Sea, aquanaut Fabien Cousteau and industrial designer Yves Béhar are envisioning the world's largest underwater research station and habitat. The Proteus Proteus is a 4,000-square-foot modular lab that will sit under the water off the coast of Curaçao. It would help scientists and researchers from across the world to study the ocean -- from the effects of climate change and new marine life to medicinal breakthroughs. Ambitious project! In a single day on Proteus, scientists could do what would have taken days or weeks with multiple, individual dives. Cousteau and his partners intend Proteus to be a research hub not just for ocean conservation, but for renewable energy research, food production and even medical and drug development. It could also be a good place to test potential Mars-bound astronauts for how well they handle being cut off from society in a hostile environment. The wonder The lab would be able to accommodate 12 scientists at a time. Power will be provided by a mix of sustainable sources, like wind, solar, and ocean thermal. Fresh air, power and internet will be provided by an umbilical cable to the surface. The Proteus is intended to be the underwater version of the International Space Station (ISS). The Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center aims to finish mapping the site off the coast of Curaçao by September, with the goal to have the habitat built and submerged in 2023.

Ever wondered why there are more humans who have ventured into space than those who have explored the deep trenches on earth? The answer is simple. It’s much more complicated. And much more difficult to stay alive under water.

Now a duo have come up with an ambitious plan to create an underwater research station and a habitat! Sixty feet beneath the surface of the Caribbean Sea, aquanaut Fabien Cousteau and industrial designer Yves Béhar are envisioning the world’s largest underwater research station and habitat.

The Proteus

Proteus is a 4,000-square-foot modular lab that will sit under the water off the coast of Curaçao. It would help scientists and researchers from across the world to  study the ocean — from the effects of climate change and new marine life to medicinal breakthroughs.

Ambitious project!

In a single day on Proteus, scientists could do what would have taken days or weeks with multiple, individual dives.

Cousteau and his partners intend Proteus to be a research hub not just for ocean conservation, but for renewable energy research, food production and even medical and drug development. It could also be a good place to test potential Mars-bound astronauts for how well they handle being cut off from society in a hostile environment.

The wonder

The lab would be able to accommodate 12 scientists at a time. Power will be provided by a mix of sustainable sources, like wind, solar, and ocean thermal. Fresh air, power and internet will be provided by an umbilical cable to the surface.

The Proteus is intended to be the underwater version of the International Space Station (ISS).

The Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center aims to finish mapping the site off the coast of Curaçao by September, with the goal to have the habitat built and submerged in 2023.

Location

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