MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS 81 



whelming portion of the world's deep-sea vehicles have been 

 or are being built in this country. 



These vehicles range from the small one- to two-man sub- 

 niEirines for exploration of the continental shelves to vehicles 

 capable of routine operations at 15,000 feet. Units capable of 

 searching the ocean floor at 20,000 feet are coming soon. 



A major step in this evolution was ALVIN, a vehicle built 

 under the ocean-science program to conduct research to a depth 

 of 6000 feet. A part of its research was directed toward de- 

 termining the best methods of utilizing deep vehicles to explore 

 the oceans. Its success in opening this area of the world to man 

 is amply demonstrated by the fact that, to date, priority re- 

 quirements for recovery of material vital to this nation (the un- 

 armed atomic weapon near Palomares, Spain) and the inspection 

 of installations in the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation 

 Center (AUTEC) and other areas have deferred the accomplish- 

 ment of many research missions. ALVIN will soon be joined by 

 about six other vehicles of similar capability, and it is hoped that 

 the ALVIN will be able to resume its intended primary mission. 



MAN-IN-THE-SEA PROGRAM 



The continental shelf areas of the world, which lie within 

 depths of less than 600 feet, constitute about five percent of the 

 earth's surface area. While a limited capability for diving in 

 these shelf areas has existed for several decades, the hazards 

 involved and the limited time which could be spent doing useful 

 work has precluded widespread use of the techniques. The 

 pioneering ideas and work of Captain George Bond on the 

 development of saturation diving techniques, in which the 

 human body is allowed to reach gas saturation equilibrium at the 

 depth at which work is required, are currently being explored 

 and exploited. 



An at-sea experiment, Sealab I, was conducted in 1964 to 

 confirm prior laboratory work, and to make observations and 

 preliminary measurements of human ability to adapt, both 

 physiologically and psychologically, to the environment at 



