56 THE NAVY OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM 



becoming obvious. Much remains to be done to develop an under- 

 standing of the interrelationship of bottom-soil properties with 

 various bottom-penetration methods (pile drivers, coring tools, 

 anchors, etc.). Studies of the applicability of new materials to 

 specific problem areas associated with working in the ocean 

 environment also £ire underway. For instance, a review is 

 being made of the flexibility-strength-weight-corrosion resistance 

 properties of titanium in relation to conventional materials 

 used as mooring and hoisting cables. 



A small project concerns a radical new concept of underwater 

 manipulators, using only tension members, £md prospectively 

 capable of providing a manipulator of extreme dexterity and 

 zero net weight in water. In psirallel with this past effort, research 

 is continuing on the utilization of electronic components in the 

 deep ocean, exposed directly to ocean pressure, to avoid the 

 necessity of large, heavy pressure containers. 



INSTRUMENTATION 



Any progressive science moves forward by the application 

 of the most advanced tools for measurement and provides the 

 impetus for new instrumentation to measure parameters whose 

 importance has newly emerged, or to measure with newly re- 

 quired precision parameters of long-term interest. The Navy 

 Ocean Science Program includes the development of a wide 

 variety of instruments required by the research scientists. 



New instruments for making in situ measurements from ships 

 are continually being developed under this program. Several 

 deeply towed marine observational systems have been con- 

 structed for making detailed and accurate measurements of 

 various aspects of the deep-sea floor. Such systems have applica- 

 tion in locating vehicles and other structures at depth, as well 

 as for obtaining scientific data. In one or another of these towed 

 systems the instruments include cameras, magnetometers, 

 sound-velocity meters, and other sensors. Precision navigation 

 for the systems is usually provided by use of expendable acoustic 

 transponders fixed to the ocean bottom. 



