A mystery object floating in Bermuda’s waters is a scientific glider, it was revealed yesterday, as the search for it continued.The Royal Gazette reported on Monday how the six-foot craft was spotted by Nouvelle DeRoza, 47, from Warwick, who was fishing at Challenger Banks on Sunday.Fearing it was a military drone aircraft that could be dangerous, she alerted the authorities, and an investigation involving Bermuda Radio, the police and the US Coastguard was launched.Issuing an update yesterday, a spokesman said: “Bermuda Radio can confirm that the suspected missile spotted on the crown of Challenger Bank is in fact a scientific glider used to collect marine data.“The unit was recently deployed by scientists from BIOS in conjunction with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The instrument stopped transmitting data around 48 hours ago and was considered lost.“BIOS and Woods Hole are keen to recover the unit. Any sighting of the glider should be reported to Bermuda Radio so that retrieval can be arranged.”A BIOS spokeswoman described the problems encountered with the glider.“Over the weekend Bermuda residents were treated to a rare sighting: a robotic submarine floating at the surface of the water.“The submarine was a type of autonomous underwater vehicle (or AUV) called a spray glider, which navigates without human crew on-board,” she explained.“This piece of scientific equipment is normally submerged in the water collecting data on a variety of parameters including — in this case — microturbulence within the water column.“This particular glider is part of a programme at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) run by Dr Jong-Jin Park and Dr Breck Owens, both of whom are interested in utilising AUVs to study general circulation and eddy variability in the ocean.”She explained: “During a routine test deployment last week, WHOI scientists at BIOS lost contact with the glider, indicating a potential issue with the instrument’s on-board communication system.“Larry George, engineering assistant at WHOI, noted the glider was also sighted upside down, which may indicate additional problems with the hardware.“Test deployments are frequent and necessary aspects of ocean technology programmes — particularly with novel technologies and applications — to troubleshoot for issues such as these.”She said gliders may become a more common sight in local waters over the next few years as BIOS works to develop a new programme involving their use for training and education.Anyone who spots the missing research equipment should contact Bermuda Radio on 297-1010 or via VHF radio channel 16.