LOCAL Houston | The City Guide February 2018 | Page 60

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE
GLOSSARY
ACARS
Aircraft Communications Addressing
and Reporting System.
AIRSPACE
Any part of the earth‘s atmosphere
that can be used by an aircraft. It is
a three-dimensional space where air-
craft can operate.
ATC
Air traffic control. ATC is used to man-
age the safe and orderly flow of air-
craft into, out of, and across airspace
Crew member processes data received from the Dragon Prince.
Dragon Prince’, the EdgeTech DT-1 towfish that is being used to search the seafloor for MH370.
AUV
An autonomous underwater vehicle
(AUV) is a battery-powered self-pro-
pelled underwater vehicle that can be
launched and retrieved from a search
vessel and is pre-programmed with a
search mission. The vehicle may be
fitted with instruments including sonar
and optical imaging systems.
BATHYMETRY
The study and mapping of seafloor
topography. It involves obtaining
measurements of the ocean depth
and is equivalent to mapping topog-
raphy on land.
A shipwreck discovered in December 2015.
Night-time view from the stern of Fugro Discovery.
CVR
Cockpit Voice Recorder. A CVR is a
recorder placed in an aircraft for the
purpose of facilitating the investiga-
tion of an aircraft accident or incident.
It records the total audio environment
of the cockpit area.
DEPRESSOR
A steel weight that is towed behind a
search vessel on a long cable in front
of the towfish, to help stabilize it.
This allows the towfish to “fly” with
less motion above the seafloor, while
gathering detailed imagery.
MH370 Inboard section of flap.
PING
A pulse of sonar sound.
Crew member helping to deploy ‘Dragon Prince’.
TOWFISH
A vehicle which is towed behind a
search vessel. The vehicle may be fit-
ted with instruments including sonar
and optical imaging systems.
Fugro Discovery encounters rough conditions.
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Towfish is controlled by a winch aboard Fugro Discovery.
Fugro Discovery crew members deploy ‘Dragon Prince’.
The depressor used to keep the Dragon Prince deep towfish at depth.
Bathymetry map (showing water depth) of a detail of the MH370 search area in the Southern Indian Ocean
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