, Japanese for "Earth Discovery", is a mission primarily led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC. The half-billion dollar plus project aims to be the first to drill seven kilometers beneath the seabed and into the earth's mantle; three times deeper than ever drilled before.

International Collaboration

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The Chikyu Hakken mission is a collaborative effort with contributory support of the United States, the European Union, and China.

Technology

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In order to accomplish feats never before attempted in drilling, many new technologies had to be devised and implemented in the vessel created for the mission, the D/VChikyu.

The Drilling Vessel Chikyu

The Chikyu is an ocean going vessel devised solely for the Chikyu Hakken mission and was launched on January 18th 2002. The boat is 210 meters long, 38 meters in breadth and 16.2 meeters deep with a grosse tonnage of approximately 57,087 tons. The ship has a draft of 9.2 meters and a max cruising speed of 12 knots. Its compliment of 150 crew are divided between 100 operators and 50 science personnel.

Key innovations include a GPS system and 6 adjustible azimuth thrusters that enable computer controlled positioning to maintain a stable platform during drilling in deep water. The maximum drilling water depth is declared at 2500 meters and can support up to 10,000 meters of drill.

External links

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• Official Page for Chikyu Hakken Project