How does ABE move around?
ABE reaches its working depth by sinking through the water attached to a heavy diving weight. Once at depth, ABE releases the diving weight and becomes neutrally buoyant. Five slender propellers combine to move ABE forward, backward, up and down. When its mission is over, the vehicle drops another weight (the “ascent weight”) and floats to the surface. A network of computers control where ABE goes according to a mission program that engineers load into memory before the dive. Once ABE leaves the ship, it is responsible for its own navigation. Engineers on the ship can only listen in as ABE reports its progress, or send an emergency signal for ABE to return to the surface. Although there’s no one piloting, the vehicle does know how to check its position and stay on course. Onboard sensors tell ABE how deep it is and how far off the bottom it is. And ABE calculates its location by contacting a system of acoustic transponders set out in fixed locations ahead of time.
Related Questions
- What information does ALPINA require in order to provide me with an ABE (Allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis, or General Operating Permit)?
- Does instruction that improves ABE students motivation or self-esteem also lead to increased reading comprehension ability?
- Is there any major new real estate transaction on Abes radar?
