 A life on the ocean
waves? Apparently
not for Spray, which is destined for
a solitary life under the waves. This underwater glider was the first
unmanned robot to cross the Gulf Stream (the warm ocean current flowing
northeastward in the North Atlantic Ocean). Weighing in at 112 lbs,
the six-foot-long orange vehicle with its four-foot wingspan achieves
buoyancy by pumping mineral oil in and out of its two tanks, while
its wings provide lift.
Last fall, Russ Davis and Jeff Sherman, ’81, from Scripps Institution
of Oceanography and their colleague Breck Owens from Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution launched Spray just south of Nantucket Island, Mass.
The underwater robot made its way—gradually—toward Bermuda,
about 600 miles south. “Gradually” being the operative
adverb. At 12 miles a day, the little-robotsub-that-could glided
up and down as its instruments measured the temperature, salinity
and density of the ocean. Surfacing every seven hours, it relayed
the information back to shore via satellite.
“Oceanographic gliders are now at
the stage similar to the start of aviation,” Sherman says, “but
in years to come they will be commonplace.”
By May, Spray will be half way
through its new adventure, a return trip
to Bermuda. It is indeed the little sub
that could! 
Contributors to Making Waves: Jessica Demian, Raymond Hardie, Heather Henter, Evelyn Hsieh, '05, Sue Pondrom.
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