161 



Technology and Services To 

 Support Industry Activities 



Government gives positive' support to in- 

 dustrial iictivities in many ways. For ocean 

 industry, one of the most important kinds of 

 assistance is providing tlie basic pre-invest- 

 ment information, technology, and services 

 necessary to expand operations at sea. The 

 propriety of government assistance to scien- 

 tific and technological advancement commen- 

 surate with the national interest and indus- 

 trial needs is well established and widely 

 accepted. Furthermore, this means of accel- 

 erating industry's marine effort is cost-effec- 

 tive and impartial, and it can be terminated 

 as objectives are attained. 



Industry Use of Fundamental Technology 



Technological innovations that reduce an 

 ocean operation's cost will improve profit 

 outlooks and accelerate marine resources de- 

 velopment. Consequently, a fundamental (or 

 niuUipurpose) technology program oriented 

 toward reducing costs relevant to a wide 

 variety of user interests will expedite the 

 utilization of the sea's resources. 



(^hapter 2 states that a 10-year program of 

 intensive undersea development is in the na- 

 tional interest and recommends that it begin 

 immediately, emphasizing fundamental tech- 

 nology'. A major purpose of Federal partici- 

 pation in a fundamental technology devel- 

 opment program is to enlarge the national 

 base for future productive activity by in- 

 dustry. The Commission emphasizes that the 

 application of fundamental technology to in- 

 dustrial opportunities is the responsibility 

 of industry, not of government. 



It will be difficult but essential to establish 

 a reasonable dividing line between what in- 

 dustry should do for itself under profit moti- 

 vation and what the Government should do to 

 assist. In most instances, programs that bene- 



fit only a specific industry more properly 

 should be carried out by that industry. 



The process of selecting specific programs 

 must take into account needs of the Govern- 

 ment, scientific community, and industry and 

 must observe the role of industry. The advice 

 and counsel of a broadly based advisory com- 

 mittee should be of particular value in de- 

 termining more precisely the Federal role. 



Chapter 6 of the Report of the Panel on 

 Marine Engineering and Technology de- 

 scribes in great detail the present status and 

 trends, future needs, and recommendations 

 regarding industrial technology in the de- 

 velopment of ocean resources. 



Power Sources for "Resource Development 



Undersea operations, fixed or mobile, de- 

 pend on power supplies. No single type of 

 power source is known or is likely to be fea- 

 sible for all power level, endurance, and 

 ambient pressure requirements of undersea 

 tasks. A family of power sources with diflFer- 

 ent characteristics will be needed. 



As resource industries expand deeper 

 into the ocean and farther from shore, tlie 

 need for self-sustaining jwwer supplies will 

 become increasingly critical. This need may 

 be met by one or a combination of cables, bat- 

 teries, fuel cells, isotopes, thermal conversion, 

 and other systems. Technological develop- 

 ment of such systems should be strongly sup- 

 ported by the National Oceanic and Atmos- 

 pheric Agency. 



Because continental shelf resource develop- 

 ment ultimately will require large quantities 

 of power, the Commission proposes as a 

 National Project the construction of an 

 Experimental Continental Shelf Submerged 

 Nuclear Plant. Initially, the project might 

 provide power for one of the continental 

 shelf laboratories proposed below. It also 

 would enable scientists to investigate arti- 

 ficial upwelling and the effects of artificial 



