China Prepares To Map Ocean Floor As Malaysia Releases Satellite Data For Missing Jet
The search for the missing Malaysia Flight MH370 may just have proven to be the most difficult so far. In a desperate bid to locate the remnants of the missing jet, two countries are going to the extreme measures.
China has agreed to map the ocean floor where the missing jet was last suspected to have ended. The Malaysian government announced late Monday night that a Chinese vessel would survey the ocean floor at the last suspected location of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Hydrographic experts from Malaysia, China and Australia have agreed that extensive mapping of the sea floor will be done by a Chinese Navy vessel. Perhaps slow, meticulous and accurate mapping is the surefire way to look for the missing jet. However, not to take any chances, the Malaysian Government has added that accurate mapping will help in the future deployment of further deep-sea submersibles to the area to look for the vanished jet.
Has the missing jet’s location affixed? So far, none of the vessels have been able to get a positive lock on the whereabouts of the missing jet. However, naval ships have, on numerous occasions, ‘heard’ pings from the Flight Data Recorder or Blackbox. The Blackbox is long dead, but the vessels will now use these telltale signs to deepen the search efforts in those areas only.
The slow sweep of the ocean floor could take many days, but the Government is determined to offer closure to its citizens and ascertain the fate of the airplane, said Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also Malaysia’s acting transport minister, reported NY Times.
The deep sea autonomous robots, most prime being Bluefin–21 has so far proven to be of little help. Though these robots are continuously scouring the floor, the data is too much to manually sift through. Ocean Mapping will help these machines too, said Hussein.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Government has also urged Inmarsat, the global satellite Communications Company, about a possible release of raw data transmitted from the aircraft to a satellite over the Indian Ocean, reported Houston Chronicle. Finer details from the way the data was transmitted could help further narrow down the location of the missing jet. Fortunately, though highly classified, Inmarsat has agreed. The Civil Aviation Department and British company confirmed in a joint statement Tuesday that they would do this “in line with our commitment to greater transparency.”
From aerial sweeps to hydrophones, the search for the missing jet hasn’t offered any conclusive evidence, nor has it offered a solace to the relatives. Let’s hope these pieces of data offer something substantial.
[Images via Bing]
