Russian Mir mini-subs begin 3rd stage exploration in Lake Baikal
14:37, 1 July 2010
IRKUTSK. July 1. KAZINFORM Russia's Mir-1 and Mir-2 self-propelled deep submersibles started on Thursday the third stage of explorations of the world's deepest freshwater lake, Lake Baikal, in Siberia; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
"The two Mir vessels will dive to a depth of around 900 meters. The duration of the dive will be 3-4 hours," Roman Afonin, Executive Director of Fund for the Protection of Lake Baikal said.
The third stage of the scientific and research expedition on Baikal's southern region will last from July 1- September 5.
World War II veteran Valentin Kazantsev, an 83-year-old sailor, will join the expedition during one of the dives.
During the first stages of the expedition in 2008 and 2009 the manned submersibles already committed more than 160 submersions. The objective of the program is to research and monitor the ecosystem in the lake; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.