China is all set to take things to another level by designing and building a manned deep-sea lab to hunt for minerals in the South China Sea. The oceanic "space station" will also double up as a military station in the disputed waters. To be located 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) below the surface, the project was mentioned in China's five-year economic plan released back in March. It is also number two on the list of the top 100 science and technology priorities. A station like this hasn't been attempted this deep in the sea before. According to experts, manned submersibles have gone to such depths for almost 50 years now but the real challenge would be to sustain operations for months at a time.

The roadblocks

The frequency of typhoons in the depth of the waters remains one of the main concerns for the Chinese. To build such a technologically advanced station that will host dozens of crew members for months at a stretch makes it more of a challenge to overcome.

Expensive is the word

Needless to say, this humungous station will cost China a bomb. They have been planning this for a decade now and it is key for China as they plan to become a global technology superpower by 2030. Building something like this would get them at par with the U.S., Japan, France and Russia on underwater technology.