vided lessons pertaining to performance and safety that should guide 

 design of the next generation of vehicles. To this end, the Council 

 is planning to collect and make available all possible data that would 

 assist future development. 



Mineral Resources 



Determining the extent and quality of sea-floor mineral deposits 

 with the accuracy taken for granted on land is not yet possible. Even 

 the crudest of evaluations is expensive and difficult to perform. En- 

 gineering to modify terrestrial drilling and sampling techniques to 

 the shallow waters of the Continental Shelf is being intensified by the 

 Bureau of Mines. 



Certification and Standardization 



Certification of safe construction, licensing of operators, and stan- 

 dardization of practices and equipment are vital elements of any 

 developing technology. A beginning has been made by the Navy and 

 the Coast Guard in establishing safety specifications and standards 

 for both military and nonmilitary deep submersibles. For insurance 

 purposes the American Bureau of Shipping will conduct inspections 

 of commercial submersibles. 



Man-in-the-Sea 



The presence of man at the site of his undersea work is usually 

 advantageous and on occasion essential. Within his physiological 

 limits, man can go underwater and work as an exposed diver, wear- 

 ing only a light protective suit and underwater breathing apparatus. 

 Where the effects of submergence exceed physiological endurance, he 

 needs the protection of a pressure-proof capsule. Thus protected, he 

 gains greater mobility, endurance, carrying capacity, and relative 

 comfort; but he sacrifices manual dexterity, maneuverability, access 

 to restricted areas, and the ability to use tactile sensing. The goal 

 of the Navy's man-in-the-sea program is to extend the depth and 

 duration of penetration into the ocean depths by the unprotected 

 diver through a series of experiments (called Sealab) in living and 

 working at several hundred feet depth for many weeks. During the 

 coming year the Sealab III experiment at 400 feet will be concluded 

 and preparations will begin for Sealab IV. Continued efforts can 

 be expected to extend our capabilities to the deepest areas of the Con- 

 tinental Shelf, seeking solutions to such technical barriers as precise 

 control of partial pressure of the breathing mixture; communication; 

 comfort, of personnel; navigation in low visibility; adequate and suit- 

 able tools. 



Much man-in-the-sea technology has been and will be developed by 

 private industry for such work as petroleum and mineral recovery. 



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