CHAPTER 6
Entry into Inner Space
To exploit the ocean resources morefreely, man must be able to enter the
alien world of inner space. It is something of a paradox that such a
successful land animal should need to grapple with the problem of
returning to what was probably the cradle of life on the Earth. Of
course, other mammals, notably the whale, have re—made their home in
the sea. They have gained their underwater freedom via the long slow
process of evolutiona1y change over countless generations. Man, on the
other hand, must make his debut leaning heavily on the crutch of
technology with advanced diving systems, small submarines and machine
proxies. Initially, the goal is to bring the entire continental shelfregions
of the world within easy reach. These regions, extending down to a
depth of 600 feet, are already subject to some commercial exploitation
and therefore the prospective gains are not too dicult to envisage. But
the continental shelf accounts for less than 10 per cent of the sea bed and
ocean oor and, ultimately, man will see/e to conquer the entire realm
of inner space.
THE United Kingdom has on its very doorstep a submerged land
mass, the continental shelf, which is equivalent to three times the
nation’s surface area. The continental shelf of the United States—
about one—third the present land area—stretches over an area of
about 860,000 square miles and already provides signicant benets.
In terms of oil alone, offshore operations provide almost 9 per
cent
of the dollar value of U.S. petroleum production, and federal royalties
from the production of oil, gas and sulphur from the outer con—
tinental shelf amounted to more than $7oo million (£292 million) in
1967. The British Government has been a little slower in realizing
the value of its marine assets, but the discovery of large amounts of
natural gas on the continental shelf beneath the North Sea promises
156
Entry into Inner Space
To exploit the ocean resources morefreely, man must be able to enter the
alien world of inner space. It is something of a paradox that such a
successful land animal should need to grapple with the problem of
returning to what was probably the cradle of life on the Earth. Of
course, other mammals, notably the whale, have re—made their home in
the sea. They have gained their underwater freedom via the long slow
process of evolutiona1y change over countless generations. Man, on the
other hand, must make his debut leaning heavily on the crutch of
technology with advanced diving systems, small submarines and machine
proxies. Initially, the goal is to bring the entire continental shelfregions
of the world within easy reach. These regions, extending down to a
depth of 600 feet, are already subject to some commercial exploitation
and therefore the prospective gains are not too dicult to envisage. But
the continental shelf accounts for less than 10 per cent of the sea bed and
ocean oor and, ultimately, man will see/e to conquer the entire realm
of inner space.
THE United Kingdom has on its very doorstep a submerged land
mass, the continental shelf, which is equivalent to three times the
nation’s surface area. The continental shelf of the United States—
about one—third the present land area—stretches over an area of
about 860,000 square miles and already provides signicant benets.
In terms of oil alone, offshore operations provide almost 9 per
cent
of the dollar value of U.S. petroleum production, and federal royalties
from the production of oil, gas and sulphur from the outer con—
tinental shelf amounted to more than $7oo million (£292 million) in
1967. The British Government has been a little slower in realizing
the value of its marine assets, but the discovery of large amounts of
natural gas on the continental shelf beneath the North Sea promises
156