Remember Boaty McBoatface? Those were happier, simpler times.
For those who have forgotten (shame on you), Boaty McBoatface was the world's top choice for the £200 million ($290 million) polar research vessel in the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)'s online vote.
Unfortunately, the NERC later decided to ignore completely the will of the people and went on to name the polar research vessel after veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough -- a crowdpleaser, to play it safe.
To dispel a potential uprising, Boaty McBoatface was assigned to a mini-submarine which is now going to its first mission, heading to the Antarctic to investigate parts of the Southern Ocean:
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However, it turns out there is not just one, but THREE Boatys:
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The trio of vehicles in the new Autosub Long Range class of underwater robots have different configurations depending on the task given.
The first Boaty will head out to Punta Arenas, Chile, aboard the RRS James Clark Ross and will investigate water flow and turbulence in the dark depths of the Orkney Passage, a 3.5 kilometre (2.17 miles) deep region of the Southern Ocean.
Good luck Boaty!
