Chapter 25 

 AOUANAUT TRAINING 



M. S. Carpenter 



National Aeronautics and Space Administration 



Houston, Texas 



Training activities for crew members began April 1, 1965, in Panama City, Florida, 

 nearly six months prior to the scheduled beginning of the underwater experiment. Classroom 

 work included diving physiology and physics, detailed study of the Mk-VI semiclosed-circuit 

 breathing apparatus which was used throughout the operation, underwater photography tech- 

 niques and equipment, and familiarization with the hookah breathing apparatus, or "Arawak." 

 In addition, many hours were spent becoming familiar with the Mk-1 SPU, or Swimmer Propul- 

 sion Unit, and other auxiliary equipment such as test kits and gas charging pumps for the 

 Mk-VI tanks. 



Underwater audio communication equipment and hand-held active and passive sonars were 

 studied and operated, and many hours were spent in the diving locker designing and building 

 equipment to support our operation, mix our gas, and store and ship our gear. Divers, by ne- 

 cessity, are jacks-of-all-trades. 



Classroom familiarization with the Mk-VI breathing apparatus took one week. This time 

 may seem excessive, but the Mk-VI is not the simple open-circuit scuba gear that most people 

 associate with diving. Figure 77 shows the gas bottles and CO2 absorbent canister worn on 

 the back. The control block, or pressure and flow regulator, is shown above the center canis- 

 ter. Figure 78 shows the Mk-VI vest, which is made up of an inhalation bag on the diver's 

 right side and an exhalation bag on his left. Hoses and a mouthpiece connect the two, and on 

 the upper part of the exhalation bag is an exhaust valve which can be adjusted in the water by 

 the diver. Adjustment of this valve regulates the amount of each exhalation that is exhausted, 

 usually about one -third; that function is what qualifies the Mk-VI as a semiclosed-circuit 

 breathing apparatus. The valve, used in conjunction with a bypass valve on the control block, 

 also controls the degree of inflation of the breathing bags. This valve gives the diver some 

 control of his buoyancy, which is very useful when he works at varying depths. 



Actual use of the equipment began in the swimming pool. After two one-hour sessions, we 

 took to deep water, where we conducted the rest of the diving training. One day was spend div- 

 ing in 30-ft water, four days in 60-ft water, five days in 100-ft water, all on N2 O2 mix, and 

 another five days in 200-ft water on He02 mix. 



A good portion of our time was spent in becoming familiar with the physiological and psy- 

 chological testing equipment and procedures. This orientation was necessary in its own right, 

 of course, but it also provided good base-line performance data on each man. In addition, a 

 day was spent at the Pensacola Naval Hospital with EEC, ECG, cardiopulmonary function, long- 

 bone X-rays, and other physiological base-line studies. 



Unfortunately, the entire Sealab team was not available for training at the same time, which 

 necessitated conducting all of the training at least twice. This difficulty, plus the lack of fast 

 surface transportation to deep water, which was quite a way out, made for a not-too-efficient 

 use of our time during this phase of our training. 



Throughout the three-month training period at Panama City, there was little opportunity to 

 learn much about Sealab II herself, or the two decompression chambers we would be using. 

 When the crew moved to Long Beach in July, we saw for the first time the nearly completed 



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