Deep Sea Diving

“NASA is looking at vent fuel propulsion programmes that... push the limits of the capabilities of cutting edge technologies available,” said Chris German, the chief scientist for deep submergence at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.

He was on board the R/V Cape Hatteras research vessel which stopped in Grand Cayman this week to refuel, get provisions, and make modifications to a robot submarine called Nereus that is capable of diving 36,089.24 feet, or about seven miles, to the deepest part of the ocean.

1882 deep-sea diving suit - Boing Boing

AMAZING, wonder how deep they made it in that thing? Check out the link for the elbow joint work. Fascinating.

Reminds me of the chapter in Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything ... about the intrepid English scientists that were on the absolute forefront of deep sea diving. It was probably the culmination of the best technology of it's time, AND YEARS of backbreaking labor.

Wonder if Sid Viscous ever went for a swim in it?

Aha! Actual 100-year-old artifacts aren't festooned with non-functional, decorative valves and gauges that simply take up space and reflect photons. This thing's 100% useful metal.

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