news
New Speed Records Expected at International Sub Race
Virginia Tech's pilot enters Phantom 5 at the 2006 competition.
New world speed records are expected to be set when 28 human-powered submarines race against the clock in the 9th International Submarine Races June 2429, a biennial engineering design competition that challenges the creativity of ocean engineering students, inventors and entrepreneurs. Twenty-four one- and two-person teams will battle it out for recognition of achievement in categories of use of composite materials, innovation and speed in the week-long event to be held at one of the world's largest indoor tanks -- the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division David Taylor Model Basin in Bethesda, Md. Organizers announce that to increase the degree of difficulty and challenge this year, a 3D slalom course will be set up and tandem races will be conducted between selected teams. "We have consistently seen young engineers and designers push the limits in order to achieve increased speed and maneuverability," said Head Judge Claude Brancart, who is in charge of contestant liaison. Brancart points out that speeds have increased steadily over the history of the event, dating back to 1989. In those early
14 MTR
days, speeds rarely exceeded three knots. In 2005, Omer 5, a sleek two-person submersible from the University of Quebec's Ecole de Technologie Superieure (ETS) in Montreal, Canada, set a new two-person speed record of 7.061 knots. The Canadians' women's team also set a record of 5.885 knots. Some of the hottest competition during ISR8 in 2005 occurred in the first-ever side-by-side race between the fastest submarines. Event organizers also held the
School Teams Registering for 2007: Sussex County Technical High School, Sparta, NJ University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI University of Washington, Seattle, WA Ecole de Technologie Superieur, Montreal, PQ, Canada (2) Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA University of Veracruz, Verazruz, Mexico Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA University of Maine, Stillwater, ME Hernando County Schools, Spring Hill, FL University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Everett Community College, Everett, WA Millersville University, Millersville, PA Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (2) University of Maryland, College Park, MD (2) University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada U.S. Merchant Marine Acadamy, Kingspoint, NY Independent Teams Registered: Robert Golobic, Ridgeway, CO Bruce Plazyk, Wheaton, IL (2) Don Burton, Frederick, MD Theodore Ioannides, Damascus, MD
April 2007
You don't have Macromedia Flash Player installed.
This content requires the Macromedia Flash Player.
Get Flash
www.digitalwavepublishing.com