Curiosity, Unity, Discovery
The Sentinel Mission is a challenge to circumnavigate the global ocean following nautical rules by an underwater robot. The mission’s goal is demonstrate novel new technology develop by Teledyne Marine Inc and promote curiosity this ocean planet. The mission will use the newly developed Teledyne Marine’s new Sentinel autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Our vision is to use this mission to build global unity and contribute to scientific discoveries with a goal to improve community resilience and inspire a sustainable relationship with our world’s oceans.
WHO WILL MAKE THIS HISTORY?
What is unique about this mission is that this will be anchored by undergraduate students from around the world. The goal is ensure a new generation of ocean leaders take leadership for the stewardship of this ocean planet that is exhibiting accelerating change. Above is our initial projected map developed over by students over the last 1.5 years in our Rutgers coursework. Our goal is bring global communities together in partnership during the Sentinel mission supporting the goals of the United Nations Ocean Decade effort.
What are the rules for a nautical circumnavigation of Earth’s ocean?
A basic definition of a global circumnavigation would be a route which covers roughly a great circle, and in particular one which passes through at least one pair of points antipodal to each other. For around the world sailing records, there is a rule saying that the length must be at least 21,600 nautical miles calculated along the shortest possible track from the starting port and back that does not cross land and does not go below 63°S. It is allowed to have one single waypoint to lengthen the calculated track. The equator must be crossed.
