tain factors like ventilation and lighting may be 
equated directly to performance errors during 
operation. However, design of living quarters, 
recreation areas, and other nonoperational facilities 
also can affect ultimate performance through 
impact on morale, fatigue, and other factors. 
Other design factors less directly related also 
are important. A significant consideration in the 
crew’s adjustment to isolation and confinement is 
the availability of a safe, reliable escape method. 
g. Personnel More than any research project, 
nuclear submarines have shown that men can live 
together in close confines for long periods. Person- 
nel selection, mobility, pleasant surroundings, ac- 
tivity to increase mental stimuli (school, music, 
movies, machinery operation and repair, watch 
standing), sanitary conditions, food preparation, 
atmosphere, sleeping facilities, and crew size must 
be considered in design of a manned underwater 
structure. 
Good communications keep up interest in the 
outside world and offset isolation. This has been 
experienced during Polaris patrols when emphasis 
has been placed on information from families 
ashore, although security regulations permit no 
reply. 
The effects of isolation and confinement upon 
human performance have been considered in 
recent manned space flight programs. Dramatic 
changes have been observed in single individuals 
isolated for several days or weeks. In small groups 
(two to five individuals) some subjects developed 
regressive behavior and feelings of hostility, al- 
though anger seldom was expressed directly. Both 
regression and hostility may, of course, be ex- 
tremely detrimental to performance. The passage 
of time usually increases the effects of other 
stressful conditions like boredom, lack of com- 
munication, sexual deprivation, and machinery 
noise. 
To combat the negative effects described above, 
the habitability of both living and working spaces 
should be enhanced. Several features in the current 
Polaris system, for example, reflect that privacy is 
important to those living in a confined space. 
2. Future Needs 
Life support functions now can be performed 
by any of several methods and equipments. The 
VI-76 
best choice will hinge on engineering analysis 
considering vehicle or station characteristics, mis- 
sion, and cost. Adaptation and improvement will 
be necessary as vehicles and stations become 
larger, operate deeper, and cruise longer, and as 
higher standards or more difficult goals are intro- 
duced. Reliability, maintainability, and endurance 
must keep pace. 
Problems remain with new hardware where no 
prior experience exists upon which to draw—for 
example, the overboard discharge of liquid and 
solid waste and the intake of sea water in 
sufficient volume at depths to 20,000 feet. 
3. Conclusions 
At depths greater than 2,000 feet, transfer of 
sea water in and waste water out of a pressure hull 
demands large energy consumption, a hazardous 
hull penetration, and hardware of special capabil- 
ities. Atmosphere control is by far the most 
difficult life support function. 
In air conditioning, factors influencing design 
are outside water temperature and number and 
size of pressure hull penetrations. 
Utilization of energy by various internal sys- 
tems results in heat which is rejected to the 
internal hull atmosphere. This ultimately must be 
ejected to the sea. 
Operating depths greater than 2,000 feet have a 
major impact on design of internal systems. 
Because of the danger inherent in taking aboard 
large quantities of sea water and the difficulty of 
discharging waste water at this great depth, a 
carefully planned system of water inventory man- 
agement will be necessary. 
The solution to waste disposal must consider 
power and men available, mission definition, 
depth, and location of habitat or operating depth 
of submersible. 
Recommendations: 
A research and development program is needed to 
provide safe, effective, economical pumps, valves 
and piping to transfer fluids and solids in and out 
of pressure hulls at depths to 20,000 feet. As an 
alternate, a completely closed-cycle water and 
waste system should be perfected. 
Other research and development work on life 
support methods and equipment should be done 
to support the national projects recommended in 
