Mission Phases

Most AUV missions, including those conducted in polar environments, have three distinct phases:

• Planning, which is likely to include consideration of logistics and shipping, and may include considering insurance as part of a comprehensive Risk Management plan.

• Mission execution, which will include careful thought and planning for deployment and recovery, and for steps to take if the vehicle ends up temporarily missing or lost with no possibility of recovery.

• Debrief and Knowledge Sharing. Modern communications, even from the Polar Regions, means that knowledge sharing for scientific missions can begin in almost real time from the expedition via websites and blogs. Such immediate communications can be of tremendous value, reaching the interested general public as well as the scientific and technical community. Traditional conference and journal papers inevitably take time, but form part of the vital record of achievement and advancement of knowledge.

Links from the menu buttons on the right take you to detailed pages on these and related topics, with Case Studies and examples.