Imagine…
Imagine a silvery ship, drifting with the currents at the very heart of the oceans.
A visionary architect with a strong passion for sea and space, Jacques Rougerie is the Founding President of Fondation Jacques Rougerie, creator of Mission SeaOrbiter, Academician, Member of the Institut de France, Oceanographer, Member of the Academy of Fine Arts. A 2LUXURY2 interview taken with Jacques Rougerie and Ariel Fuchs, Science, Education and Media, Director Mission SeaOrbiter during 1.618 Sustainable Luxury Fair in Paris.
The ocean, ¾ of our planet’s surface, cradle of all living things, also embodies our future.
At the dawn of the third millennium, SeaOrbiter announces a new generation of exploration vessels to encourage dream and give rise to vocations for the new generations in order for them to create their own tools in favor of awakening, sensitization and action of all for the integration of the ocean in our attitudes and behaviors to come.
Its mission :
To explore the ocean still widely unknown in order to refine knowledge about marine ecosystems, to better understand the influence of oceans on climate notably in the current context of global warming.
Tomorrow, for the new meriens civilization, it will allow long term stays for a large family of explorers, continuous day and night observation of the seemingly endless wealth of marine life forms, permanent and easy access to the undersea world, allowing perfect symbiosis with the aquatic universe…
All these features make SeaOrbiter the first nomadic home wandering amidst the mightiest of gardens: the ocean.
A true sentinel arising above the main oceanic streams, it will host an amazing human adventure where science, education and communication will play a key part just as they did in the great maritime explorations of the past centuries.
Onboard this ship, and for the very first time in the world, a crew of 18 will be able, and over very long periods, to live under the sea, 24 hours a day, and continuously observe the underwater world.
With one vessel drifting in each main ocean and major seas, SeaOrbiter will set up a new standard of communication through a true network of sentinels where scientists will, in real time, be able to enhance their monitoring throughout the blue planet.
Towering at 51 meters in height, this true polyvalent experimental laboratory, exemplary in terms of sustainability, will allow testing of many innovative technologies, notably those linked to the use of renewable marine energies and will allow the opening of new area of application in the field of the marine molecules, whether for human sustenance or the pharmacopeia of tomorrow.
Equipped with multiple sensors and linked with satellites and automatic buoys networks, it will allow reinforcement of scientific knowledge about oceanic impact on the atmosphere and the planet’s climate changes.
Amidst its many applications, SeaOrbiter embodies a revolutionary yet logical osmosis: the union of the abyss and the cosmos.
Fitted with a pressurized module serving as a true space simulator, SeaOrbiter will enable astronauts to test their ability to live in an extreme environment and carry out experiments and tasks just as they would do in space.
It will also allow underwater archaeologists to spend more time over remains of ancient times and wrecks of the past centuries.
All tests carried out at Marintek, Europe’s largest simulation laboratory located in Norway, proved successful. The greatest storms could not affect SeaOrbiter’s stability nor hinder its operations.
Bearing the spirit of adventure which lives on in humanity, SeaOrbiter has been conceived to give a basis to a large educational plan concerning the oceans.
SeaOrbiter, a multidisciplinary scientific vessel and a tremendous teaching and educational tool for sustainable development will contribute, thanks to renowned scientific bodies, the World Ocean Network and their many international research programs, to set up and develop a new relationship between men and the ocean.
Allowing reinforcement of marine values and better commitment from the younger generations with regard to the planetary challenges of tomorrow, this vessel will also enrich our knowledge and enlighten our hopes with the promise of new horizons.
