resistant material such as plastic reinforced with glass fiber o It 

 should be possible by this means to reduce the gross weight by about 

 30 percent » 



The placement and retrieval system used with the first STU will 

 be further developed and simplified. It is believed that development 

 of a highly reliable^ remotely actuated or time=delay actuated anchor- 

 release system will do away with the necessity for the complex retrieval 

 "back-up" system used with the first STUo Such a release system will be 

 considered for development and use with future STU's= 



Redesign of specimen racks will be undertaken to reduce weight and 

 eliminate materials requiring protective coatings. For exanrple, the 

 end plates of the rack shown in Figure 1 which are now vinyl-coated 

 mild steel could be replaced by reinforced plastic^ and the long mild- 

 steel bolts passing through the insulators could also be replaced by 

 reinforced plastic or by a more corrosion-resistant metal. Results 

 from exposure tests conducted in the first STU should provide the 

 necessary information for selecting appropriate materials. 



Investigation into problems of measuring and recording the environ- 

 mental parameters of the actual STU site will continue^ the ultimate 

 objective being to provide a compact instrument package which will 

 measure and record (for periods of 6, 12.^ and 2k months) the current 

 direction and velocity^ salinity^ temperature^ oxygen content^, oxidation- 

 reduction potential^ and pH of the surrounding sea water. 



Laboratory Research Facilities 



It is expected that the first of the medium (9-inch-ID) pressure 

 vessels will be operational early in FY-63o Work on providing for a 

 continuous supply of sea water will be completed early in FY-63. 

 During FY-63 the problems of monitoring and controlling the physical 

 and chemical properties of the sea water supplied to the vessels should 

 be resolved. Until these problems are solved the vessels will be 

 useful primarily for short-term experiments. 



Delivery of the large (l8-inch-ID) pressure vessel should be made 

 in mid FY-63, This vessel will be provided with a controlled sea -water 

 supply and a cooling system. It is anticipated that this will be 

 completed late in FY-63, 



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