methods of programming are suggested for investigation. Minor subsystems 
will consist of specialized work tools which might be adapted and supported 
by the controlled arm carrying the soil mill and slurry handling system. 
2. The final form of the system for large hole boring and lateral 
tunneling is not so clearly defined at this time. This is because of the need 
to exploit potentially important developments in new machines that take 
advantage of new methods for comminution (disintegration) of hard rock. 
Using present cutter technology, short tool life, high torques, and large 
thrust would make operation of a large ‘underwater mole” extremely 
expensive and difficult, as it would probably have to be frequently brought 
to the surface for cutter replacement during the boring of an initial large 
diameter hole. If any of the three alternatives to rolling cutters discussed 
in the text are used, it may prove practicable to bore the initial hole with 
systems not using tool bits or cutters, or at least to develop methods which 
will both extend the life of the bits and reduce the size of the machine, and 
the torque and thrust on the work face. 
Subsystems for this major system will include methods of sealing, 
dewatering the hole, and tunneling laterally in a one-atmosphere pressure 
environment beneath the ocean bottom. In the lateral tunneling, novel 
comminution techniques promise to provide methods which will make 
otherwise nearly impossible excavation practicable. 
POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS 
|deally, machines for construction work on or in the ocean bottom 
should be operable in the subsurface environment and thus be independent 
of weather, waves, and large, expensive tenders. The amounts of power 
required to accomplish the foreseen tasks in a reasonable time are significant 
and not economically supplied by power from storage batteries. Bottom- 
sited power sources with the desired capacity are few and, unfortunately, 
not fully developed. First in desirability would be a small nuclear reactor 
of the types recently proposed by Gulf General Atomic Inc. (1968) and 
Atomics International (1968 and 1969). Both the reactor designs and 
necessary associated technologies appear to be sufficiently advanced to 
allow further development; however, the design, certification, licensing 
and testing of useful models for this ocean application are not underway. 
The Air Force Is seriously considering the Atomics International small 
nuclear plant (SNAP) for independently powering future missile sites. The 
SNAP reactor has been highly developed for space applications. Its adaptation 
