Formerly a nuclear-powered ship, Mirai was remodeled for research. It docked at Pier 2 yesterday with 27 scientists after its first scientific voyage. The vessel is equipped with the most advanced satellite, oceanographic and communications systems, as well as comfortable staterooms, huge conference rooms and glistening laboratories. By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin A rosette, or water sampler, is deployed off the Mirai, the world's largest research ship. Four-ton water samplers, each with 24 stainless steel canisters, can be raised by elevator and lowered by crane from the ship to various depths.
Electronic instruments measure water temperature, salinity, pressure and other things.
Sophisticated laboratory equipment includes such items as a mass spectrometer, which measures heavy isotopes of nitrogen and carbon. Lewis works with satellite oceanographer Ichio Asanuma, who tracks two satellites on a shipboard receiving station for simultaneous data from the ocean and atmosphere. The whole operation can be run automatically from the bridge or the stern, he said. You can drive it with a joy stick. Lewis, engineer Scott McLean and two students from Nova Scotia participated in a monitoring program he began with the Japanese along the equator five years ago.