178 



Because of the need for access to the envi- 

 ronment, deep sea one-atmosphere habitats 

 may be further in the future than ambient 

 pressure sea labs or continental shelf depth 

 facilities like Rocksite. Mating a deep sub- 

 mersible to a one-atmosphere chamber at 

 10,000 or 20,000 feet still is difficult to contem- 

 plate. Of course, as submereiblc engineering 

 progresses, this technique will emerge; so too 

 will other tecliniques for deep ocean access. 



Possibly no more exotic than a man exiting 

 from an orbiting capsule, the development of 

 liquid breathing by divers would offer similar 

 advantages to the ocean investigator. The 

 occasional foray for high priority missions 

 would permit the full manipulative-adaptive 

 capabilities of man to be employed to depths 

 possibly as great as 10,000 feet. 



When it is possible to employ much more 

 extensive systems, they will require the whole 

 panoply of logistics support, including per- 

 sonnel transfer vehicles, rescue capabilities, 

 and the like. Although requirements for such 

 civil or militai-y systems still are speculative, 

 efforts must be made to anticipate future 

 needs by conducting feasibility studies con- 

 currently with the exploration and develop- 

 ment of basic technology. Initial experience 

 in staging diversified operations in the deep 

 ocean environment may be gained concur- 

 rently through construction of an ocean sta- 

 tion on a seamount for ease of access to the 

 deep ocean. This program would be a realiz- 

 able sequel to the Commission's National 

 Project for fixed and portable continental 

 shelf laboratories. 



The Commission recommends that the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency and the U.S. Navy join in con- 

 ducting studies of the feasibility of ad- 

 vanced deep ocean stations, initially on 

 seamounts but later on the continental 

 slope, ocean ridges, and finally in the 



abyssal deep. These studies should also 

 include the feasibility of mobile undersea 

 laboratories and large stable ocean plat- 

 forms which could be used in conjunction 

 with the fixed ocean stations. 



Submersibles 



The art of STibmersible design is in a state 

 of rapid change and sophistication ; it has a 

 long way to go. Present submersibles — ex- 

 pensive; difficult to transport, handle, and 

 control; and short on visibility, endurance, 

 and depth — have seen limited use in marine 

 science. The immense effort already under- 

 taken with such well-known designs as 

 Aluminaut, Alvin, Trieste, and Deepstar has 

 shown both the problem and the promise. 



The promise is that the incon\enience of 

 pioneer equipment can be eliminated, that 

 submersible transport systems will give the 

 investigator the freedom to go deep without 

 restraint, and that once there he will ha^e the 

 option of traveling as far as he wishes. 



New designs will enhance greatly this capa- 

 bility. A two-phase development of a manned 

 submersible using a plexiglass capsule to 

 provide nearly total visibility soon will be 

 launched. Operated in clear water, it will 

 give the occupants the effect of being in an 

 underwater helicopter. Operated in murky 

 water, it will allow the pilot to stabilize and 

 orient to an object easily, as ahead-scanning 

 and peripheral vision will be unrestrained by 

 the dimensions of viewing ports. 



When technology allows glass with its 

 higli strength-to-weight ratio to be substi- 

 tuted for plexiglass, this same vehicle design 

 may offer the capability of operating from 

 2,000 to 20,000 feet while retaining its char- 

 acteristic of visibility. Such glass vehicles 

 may not be as far in the future nor as ex- 

 pensive as generally estimated. 



One design now approaching prototype 



