surface generators. Toward the end of the program, several circuit breakers 

 became difficult to switch on. This was probably caused by wear and corrosion 

 of the breaker contacts. None of these problems were due to failures in the 

 system design, however, and it may be concluded that the overall electrical 

 system operated in a safe and efficient manner. 



No habitat structural problems were encountered during the TEKTITE II program. 

 An anti-corrosive, anti-fouling paint system protected the structure on all 

 surfaces exposed to the sea water. The vinyl base anti-fouling paint inhibited 

 marine growth to the extent that only infrequent brushing with a stiff bristled 

 brush or plastic scrub pad was necessary to keep the exterior clean. The habi- 

 tat was given a complete cleaning only twice during the eight months that it 

 remained in the water. After recovery of the habitat, the paint was found to 

 be chipped and scraped in many areas. However, the structure had suffered no 

 serious corrosion damage. 



The plumbing subsystem provided fresh water for drinking and washing, a toilet 

 operating on sea water, and a drain system that carried all waste water a suit- 

 able distance from the habitat. An 80-gallon hot water heater in the habitat 

 provided an adequate supply of hot water at all times. Sinks were located in 

 the crew quarters, near the toilet in the engine room, and in the wet room. 

 The wet room also provided a shower and a hose connection for washing down 

 equipment. The toilet, located in the engine room, used sea water and included 

 an emaciator and provisions for adding decontaminate to the water. Sewage from 

 the toilet was pumped directly overboard while the waste water from the sinks 

 and shower were collected in a sump before being pumped to the drain system. 

 The wet room bilge also incorporated an electric pump that emptied into the 

 sump. All drain lines were connected external to the habitat, and a single 

 hose carried all waste to a point approximately 400 feet from the habitat. 



The most serious problem encountered with the plumbing system was during 

 mission 2-50 when the toilet failed and remained out of service for two weeks 

 until replacement parts were obtained. On several occasions, the bilge pump 

 became clogged with debris and required forced flushing. 



A dumbwaiter system provided for the habitat did not work satisfactorily. 

 Failures resulted from problems with maintaining suitable tension in the 

 cables. The dumbwaiter was subsequently removed when aquanauts complained 

 that it interfered with the entry way, particularly when the rebreathers were 

 employed. 



The communications subsystem provided several modes of communicating between 

 the habitat and the control as well as from one compartment to another within 

 the habitat. The equipment installed included the following: 



• Television cameras with wide angle lenses in each of the four 

 habitat compartments, connected to monitors in the command van 

 and bridge. 



• An intercom system with stations in each of the four habitat com- 

 partments, in the cupola, and in the command van. 



• Open microphones in each of the habitat compartments that could 

 be monitored in the command van. 



II^AO 



