Partnership protects submarine crews

The first computer generated image of the replacement to the Vanguard class

SUBMARINE crews will soon be protected from deadly gases, thanks to a partnership which found its inspiration on a distant comet.

A team from The Open University has collaborated with BAE Systems to design new atmosphere monitoring technology for the UK’s submarine programme. The programme is based on lessons learned from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission, which touched down on a comet. The new analysis system monitors the environmental atmospheres found on board submarines and spots potentially lethal gases.

A BAE spokesman said: “This new atmosphere analyser far exceeds the capabilities of the current system and shares many of the attributes of the instrument that recently landed on a comet.”

The prototype analyser is now being developed for manufacture by Analox Military Systems, after it was awarded a £1m contract by BAE Systems.

Mark Scaife, of BAE Systems Submarines, said: “The atmosphere analyser is capable of giving real-time readings to crews so they can react quickly to any dangerous build-up of gases, it’s an invaluable safeguard.”