China's New Deep Sea Submersible

China's deep-sea manned submersible "Fendouzhe," which means "striver" in Chinese, descended 10,909 meters in the Mariana Trench on Tuesday.

Three divers sent back a group photo with each person carrying a food plate in hand after four hours of the mission. 

According to the exploration team, the crew will work for 6 hours in data collection and actual exploration when the vessel reaches the deepest spot.

That spot, known as the Challenger Deep, is roughly 10,900 meters deep. The water pressure is 110 kPa, equivalent to 2,000 African elephants. 

The cabin shell uses titanium, a perfect material with low density and high strength that allows the submersible not only to bear water pressure at 10,000 meters, but also to reduce self mass and expand interior space.

Powered by a lithium battery, the Striver can unload the equipment onboard and pick up samples from the surrounding environment with its flexible robotic arms. The arms can operate at an accuracy of one centimeter, the research team said.