70 THE NAVY OCEAN ENGINEERING PROGRAM 



Late in 1962, three men were exposed to a helium-oxygen breathing 

 mixture at sea level pressure for six days. Although the breathing of the 

 low density helium changed the timbre of the participants' voices, creating 

 what is known as "Donald Duck" effect, there were no other physiological 

 or psychological changes noted in the subjects. 



In the next phase of Genesis I, conducted in early 1963, three Navy 

 men lived for seven days in a two-section pressure chamber at the Experi- 

 mental Diving Unit. One chamber was a dry living area with a helium- 

 oxygen atmosphere. There was an adjacent wet room, partially filled with 

 water, where the men periodically performed special energy-consuming 

 work under pressure. The pressure in the connected chambers was similar 

 to that encountered at 100 ft depths. 



The final phase of Genesis I was conducted at the Naval Medical Re- 

 search Laboratory Test Chamber, with a medical officer and two enlisted 

 men spending 1 2 days at a simulated ocean depth of 200 ft, again breath- 

 ing a helium-oxygen gas mixture. As in all previous phases of Genesis I the 

 experiments were completely successful. 



The Genesis I experiments under Captain George Bond, USN provided 

 the sound physiological base for the present Sealab program. The Ameri- 

 can inventor Edwin Link, and the French oceanographer Jacques Yves 

 Cousteau have each produced significant work to advance saturated diving 

 techniques. Their experiments, performed independently, were designated 

 "Man-in-the-Sea" and "Conshelf I" respectively. 



In the summer of 1964, the U. S. Navy conducted its first in situ 

 experiment, designated Sealab I, near the Oceanographic Research Tower, 

 Argus Island, off Bermuda. Participants lived in a 40 ft-long chamber at a 

 depth of 193 ft for eleven days. During this time the Sealab I aquanauts 

 lived a nearly autonomous existence, with minimum assistance required 

 from the surface-support crew. An extensive program of physiological 

 studies was successfully pursued, and the overall health of the aquanauts 

 proved excellent throughout the project. 



During the Sealab II experiment, carried out in the fall of 1965 at 

 La Jolla, California, three ten-man teams remained at a depth of 205 ft for 

 15 days each. This experiment too was an unquaHfied success. In addition 

 to living underwater and conducting a multitude of physiological experi- 

 ments, underwater work tasks in simulated salvage, oceanography, and 

 construction were performed. In all, the three teams achieved more than 

 300 man-hours of useful work outside the habitat. 



