Keith Kunch, age 9, of San Diego, California, for his question:
What tests were planned for Sealab III?
It is possible that a man may someday walk on the ocean floor 2 1/2 miles below the waves. But many problems must be solved, step by step, before this rewarding dream can come true. Sealab II proved that men can live 205 feet under the ocean. Sealab III will make tests at 430 feet.
Most of our world is under water, deep and still deeper water. Most of the world's rich minerals are under the sea, and most of its food is in the ocean. It seems a pity that all these good things are out of reach. It seems wasteful to leave them there. What's more, we are using up the minerals stored in the dry land. Soon we shall need to look far new supplies, and the sensible place to search seems to be under the sea. Our population is growing and world food supplies arms running low
The sensible places to find enough food for everyone seems to be in the teeming ocean.
These ideas are good ones. But we are used to life on the dry land, surrounded by breatheable air. Life in the sea is very different, and for us it is very difficult. And the deeper we go, the more problems we face. These facts did not stop the U.S. Navy from tackling the tremendous job. Their experts know that there are many problems to solve. They also know that these problems must be approached stage by stage, as our aquanauts move down to live in deeper and deeper water.
In 1965, Sealab II tested living conditions at a depth of 205 feet. At this level, the weight or pressure of the water is much greater than ordinary air pressure on the surface of the earth. Sealab II, a sturdy steel chamber 57 1/2 feet long and 12 feet wide, proved it could withstand this great pressure. The leader of the team of aquanauts in Sealab II was none other than Astronaut Scott Carpenter. The aquanauts showed that men could live for several weeks at 205 feet below the sea. They could leave the Sealab capsule and return after brief trips and chores in the sea. But we do not know if the findings of Sealab II will also hold true at deeper levels in the ocean.
The next step down will be taken this coming winter by Sealab III. It will test conditions at 430 feet. The steel chamber on the seabed will be connected to a ship on the surface. There will be wires for communicating, pipes for oxygen and other gases and two elevators. Five teams, each with 8 aquanauts, plan to take turns at spending 12 days down in the Sealab. They plan to make many trips outside to study the seabed and gather specimens. They will test whether Maine lobsters can be coaxed to live in the Pacific. Doctors will be on hand to test their health in the intense cold and pressure of the deep water. Other experts will test scubas and new diving suits, including one lined with pipes of warm water. Inside the chamber, mixtures of breathing gases will be tested and perhaps improved. Inside and outside, experts will test new tools and metals designed to withstand the rust and cold and the heavy pressure of the deep, salty water.
Ordinary air cannot be used in a Sealab, and the mixture of gases used in Sealab II contained a lot of helium. This makes human voices sound like Donald Duck. It also makes simple chores, such as cooking pancakes, impossible. Sealab III will test other gases. The water at such depths is dark and murky. New lamps will be tested to pierce the gloom when the aquanauts take their trips outside the Sealab. And a new system to supply the underwater Sealab with power and fresh water from the shore will be tested. If all goes well, Sealab III will be another great step in conquering the deep ocean.