The challenges Sentinel faces difficulties that have plagued sailors and scientists for hundreds of years.
Ocean navigation requires a tremendous amount of resources backed by the support of and knowing where/when to resupply when on the ocean. This is analogous to the Sentinel glider’s battery life. It is necessary to know how far the glider can travel and creating a safe travel plan. Knowing how far we can get before we need to recharge, while keeping a safety buffer, is one challenge our team is working on.
Another challenge revolves around animal encounters. From whales getting to close, shark attacks, barnacles encrusting surfaces, and the threat of carrying invasive species, there are many ways marine life can affect the success of the mission. Our team has been working diligently to implement solutions to reduce the chances of these potentially catastrophic events.
A Slocum Glider encrusted in barnacles and scratched on its science payload due to a giant squid attack