Science James Cameron completes his solo submarine dive to the deepest point in the world - Page 3

Deberg_1990 · 03-26-2012, 12:14 PM

Incredible. Balls of Steel

http://news.yahoo.com/director-camer...204339087.html

"Titanic" director James Cameron returned to the surface Monday after a solo submarine dive to the deepest point in the world's oceans that was hailed as the ultimate test of "man and his machine."

[Related: James Cameron biography]

Cameron plunged about seven miles (11 kilometers) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific, where temperatures are barely above freezing and the pressure is a crushing thousand times that at sea level.

Speaking after the mission, the filmmaker-explorer described a barren "completely alien world" on the ocean floor, not unlike the surface of the moon.

[Related: Earth's deepest locations]

It was a "very lunar, very desolate place. Very isolated," Cameron said.

"I felt like I, in the space of one day, had gone to another planet and come back," he said, describing the ocean floor as a "completely featureless, alien world."

The acclaimed film director described the experience of hurtling down the "yawning chasm" of the ocean: "Falling through darkness -- that's something that a robot can't describe."

The voyage was the first manned expedition to the trench in more than half a century and Cameron said it was the culmination of more than seven years of planning.

"Most importantly, though, is the significance of pushing the boundaries of where humans can go, what they can see and how they can interpret it," he said in a statement.

The journey down to the Challenger Deep valley of the Mariana Trench, which lies southwest of Guam, took two hours and 36 minutes, organizers said.

He told reporters in a phone press conference that he was at the bottom of the ocean for about a little more than two and a half hours, and had to cut short the planned stay of six hours because of problems with the ocean craft's hydraulics system.

Cameron said that being able to make the journey was "the culmination from my perspective of a lifelong dream," and that he hopes to be able to continue to marry his love of exploring the depths of the sea with his work as a director.

He collected samples for research in marine biology, microbiology, astrobiology, marine geology and geophysics, and captured photographs and 3D moving images.

Cameron is the first person to make a solo dive to the Pacific Ocean trench. The last dive of any kind there was made by a two-man team in a relatively brief expedition back in 1960.

After a faster-than-expected, roughly 70-minute ascent, Cameron's sub, bobbing in the open ocean, was spotted by helicopter and plucked from the Pacific by a research ship's crane, organizers said.

Expedition physician Joe MacInnis called Cameron's descent "the ultimate test of a man and his machine."

Mission partner the National Geographic said Cameron had reached a depth of 35,756 feet (10,898 meters) at 7:52 am Monday (2152 GMT Sunday) in his specially designed submersible the Deepsea Challenger.

Because of its extreme depth, the Mariana Trench is cloaked in perpetual darkness and the temperature is just a few degrees above freezing.

The water pressure at the bottom is a crushing eight tons per square inch -- or about a thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level.

The images collected by Cameron will be used to make a 3-D feature film, which is expected to be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.

Cameron's tools included a sediment sampler, a robotic claw, a "slurp gun" for sucking up small sea creatures for study at the surface, and temperature, salinity, and pressure gauges.

The submersible that Cameron designed -- a "vertical torpedo" of sorts -- had already successfully completed an unpiloted dive on Friday.

In 1960, a two-man crew aboard the US Navy submersible Trieste -- then the only humans to have reached Challenger Deep -- spent just 20 minutes on the bottom, but their view was obscured by silt stirred up when they landed.

Cameron, 57, had been running several miles a day, practicing yoga to increase his flexibility for the dive in the sub's cramped quarters and studying deep-ocean science.

Cameron already has 72 dives under his belt, including 12 to film the blockbuster "Titanic."

The Mariana Trench, a crescent-shaped scar in the Earth's crust, measures more than 1,500 miles (2,550 kilometers) long and 43 miles (69 kilometers) wide on average.

Nightfyre · 03-26-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sofa King

The footage is actually pretty damn sweet. He operates those controls pretty good IMO. It takes a little bit to load. Worth the wait.

This post. It is Pure awesome.

**007** · 03-26-2012, 05:14 PM

Remake of The Deep is imminent.

lcarus · 03-26-2012, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [B

James Cameron[/B]]
It was a very lunar, very desolate place. Very isolated.

Yeah....it's the bottom of the ocean. What'd you expect a 7-11 down there?

**Donger** · 03-26-2012, 06:51 PM

When the Trieste went down in 1960, there was a loud bang way down on the descent and one of the windows cracked severely. Luckily, it was the exterior plexiglass and not part of the pressure vessel.

**Canofbier** · 03-26-2012, 07:06 PM

Here's a pretty cool picture that puts the depth of the Mariana Trench in perspective. Put in spoiler tags because it's enormous:

Spoiler!

**gblowfish** · 03-26-2012, 07:08 PM

I'M ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD!!!

headsnap · 03-26-2012, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sofa King

The footage is actually pretty damn sweet. He operates those controls pretty good IMO. It takes a little bit to load. Worth the wait.

it's like it's buffering from the bottom of the ocean!!!!

**Rain Man** · 03-27-2012, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Here's a pretty cool picture that puts the depth of the Mariana Trench in perspective. Put in spoiler tags because it's enormous:

Spoiler!

That's way cool. The depth of the deepwater well is amazing. I had no idea.

suzzer99 · 03-27-2012, 10:16 AM

Next someone should outdo Joseph Kittinger's 102,000 ft sky dive.

Quote:

On August 16, 1960, he made the final jump from the Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,300 m).[2] Towing a small drogue parachute for initial stabilization, he fell for four minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 614 miles per hour (988 km/h)[3][4] before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Pressurization for his right glove malfunctioned during the ascent, and his right hand swelled up to twice its normal size.[5][6] He set historical numbers for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest drogue-fall (four minutes), and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere.[

InChiefsHeaven · 03-27-2012, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suzzer99

Next someone should outdo Joseph Kittinger's 102,000 ft sky dive.

That was cool as hell!

ChiefRocka · 03-27-2012, 12:01 PM

Didn't he already direct this movie? The Abyss

Good flick.

Pants · 03-27-2012, 12:12 PM

Avatar was like a top 5 all time cinema experience for me. Good for you, Cam.

How is it physically possible for anything man-made not to be crushed at that depth? Does not compute.

03-26-2012, 12:14 PM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $94454	James Cameron completes his solo submarine dive to the deepest point in the world Incredible. Balls of Steel http://news.yahoo.com/director-camer...204339087.html "Titanic" director James Cameron returned to the surface Monday after a solo submarine dive to the deepest point in the world's oceans that was hailed as the ultimate test of "man and his machine." [Related: James Cameron biography] Cameron plunged about seven miles (11 kilometers) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific, where temperatures are barely above freezing and the pressure is a crushing thousand times that at sea level. Speaking after the mission, the filmmaker-explorer described a barren "completely alien world" on the ocean floor, not unlike the surface of the moon. [Related: Earth's deepest locations] It was a "very lunar, very desolate place. Very isolated," Cameron said. "I felt like I, in the space of one day, had gone to another planet and come back," he said, describing the ocean floor as a "completely featureless, alien world." The acclaimed film director described the experience of hurtling down the "yawning chasm" of the ocean: "Falling through darkness -- that's something that a robot can't describe." The voyage was the first manned expedition to the trench in more than half a century and Cameron said it was the culmination of more than seven years of planning. "Most importantly, though, is the significance of pushing the boundaries of where humans can go, what they can see and how they can interpret it," he said in a statement. The journey down to the Challenger Deep valley of the Mariana Trench, which lies southwest of Guam, took two hours and 36 minutes, organizers said. He told reporters in a phone press conference that he was at the bottom of the ocean for about a little more than two and a half hours, and had to cut short the planned stay of six hours because of problems with the ocean craft's hydraulics system. Cameron said that being able to make the journey was "the culmination from my perspective of a lifelong dream," and that he hopes to be able to continue to marry his love of exploring the depths of the sea with his work as a director. He collected samples for research in marine biology, microbiology, astrobiology, marine geology and geophysics, and captured photographs and 3D moving images. Cameron is the first person to make a solo dive to the Pacific Ocean trench. The last dive of any kind there was made by a two-man team in a relatively brief expedition back in 1960. After a faster-than-expected, roughly 70-minute ascent, Cameron's sub, bobbing in the open ocean, was spotted by helicopter and plucked from the Pacific by a research ship's crane, organizers said. Expedition physician Joe MacInnis called Cameron's descent "the ultimate test of a man and his machine." Mission partner the National Geographic said Cameron had reached a depth of 35,756 feet (10,898 meters) at 7:52 am Monday (2152 GMT Sunday) in his specially designed submersible the Deepsea Challenger. Because of its extreme depth, the Mariana Trench is cloaked in perpetual darkness and the temperature is just a few degrees above freezing. The water pressure at the bottom is a crushing eight tons per square inch -- or about a thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level. The images collected by Cameron will be used to make a 3-D feature film, which is expected to be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel. Cameron's tools included a sediment sampler, a robotic claw, a "slurp gun" for sucking up small sea creatures for study at the surface, and temperature, salinity, and pressure gauges. The submersible that Cameron designed -- a "vertical torpedo" of sorts -- had already successfully completed an unpiloted dive on Friday. In 1960, a two-man crew aboard the US Navy submersible Trieste -- then the only humans to have reached Challenger Deep -- spent just 20 minutes on the bottom, but their view was obscured by silt stirred up when they landed. Cameron, 57, had been running several miles a day, practicing yoga to increase his flexibility for the dive in the sub's cramped quarters and studying deep-ocean science. Cameron already has 72 dives under his belt, including 12 to film the blockbuster "Titanic." The Mariana Trench, a crescent-shaped scar in the Earth's crust, measures more than 1,500 miles (2,550 kilometers) long and 43 miles (69 kilometers) wide on average.
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03-26-2012, 05:14 PM	#32
007 Shaken. Not stirred. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Casino cash: $12140126 VARSITY	Remake of The Deep is imminent.
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03-26-2012, 06:51 PM	#34
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6819900 VARSITY	When the Trieste went down in 1960, there was a loud bang way down on the descent and one of the windows cracked severely. Luckily, it was the exterior plexiglass and not part of the pressure vessel. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 191,135

03-26-2012, 07:06 PM	#35
Canofbier ¡RIOS MIO! Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Minneapolis Casino cash: $3796981	Here's a pretty cool picture that puts the depth of the Mariana Trench in perspective. Put in spoiler tags because it's enormous: Spoiler!
Posts: 4,323

03-26-2012, 07:08 PM	#36
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $16886178 VARSITY	I'M ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD!!!
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03-27-2012, 12:01 PM	#41
ChiefRocka Veteran Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: DE Casino cash: $9735019	Didn't he already direct this movie? The Abyss Good flick.
Posts: 3,834

03-27-2012, 12:12 PM	#42
Pants Time Keeps On Slipping Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $3519900	Avatar was like a top 5 all time cinema experience for me. Good for you, Cam. How is it physically possible for anything man-made not to be crushed at that depth? Does not compute. __________________ "Turn the channel to 26!"
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