Entry into Inner S pace
177
type of battery is both very expensive and sensitive to rough usage:
most submersibles manage with lead—acid batteries which have the
advantage of being more reliable and sufciently cheap to use as
throw—away ballast if need be. Any dramatic improvement in
performance would certainly mean considerable increases in size,
and hence displacement, to provide the budyancy and sufcient
space for chemically fuelled or even nuclear systems. In July 1967
the US. Navy received Congressional approval for the construction
of the world’s rst nuclear—powered underwater research and
ocean engineering submersible, NR—I. At that time, construction
costs were estimated $ 583 million, almost d99ble the sum proposed
”for an earlierversion, and by the time NR—I was nally launched on
january 29, 1969, the costs had escalated even further to $67— 5
million. Special equipment, including gear for oceanographic
work, it was then estimated would add about 320 million to the bill.
Obviously such a vessel is well beyond normal commercial, non—
military investment and'most—operators have decided in favour of
small, lower—powered subrhersibles brought to the operations site
by a ‘parent’ vessel on the surface.
_
,
Of course, one way around the problem is to have an umbilical
connection to, surface
of electricity just as in the early
underwater houses. The Japanese submersible Kurosizio Il, Which
operates down to depths of 650 feet, trails an umbilical cable‘ 1,900
feet long bringing power from surface tender. But, on the whole,
tethered vehicles belong to an entirely different class of submersible
—-—the unmanned telechiric. Telechiric is, derived from the;Greek
_
Words for
hand’ and is an apt description: of these undèr—
water vehicles which are. controlled by, human :: operators …at: the
surface. The cable connection allows
operatOr to reèeivepict—dres
relayed' from-the vehiclëstelevisiœ ‘eyes’
carties his… control
signals as well as the power; needed for the machineto:-expedite
other words, the teleChirig‘: is a machine proxy: for man,
allowing him to carry outworkinïan alien world without anyhazard
himself
-”
,:f“
”J
.L,
“.'
"
earliest teledridmachines were found …in another alien
environment—the radioactive areas of nuclear
laboratories.
were a
tof
devices…that
scientists
leaded glass win—
dows to manipulate , Obje‘CtS in the radioactive cells Although some
manned vehichsSuCh Las the AmeriCanBætlc were built for this
177
type of battery is both very expensive and sensitive to rough usage:
most submersibles manage with lead—acid batteries which have the
advantage of being more reliable and sufciently cheap to use as
throw—away ballast if need be. Any dramatic improvement in
performance would certainly mean considerable increases in size,
and hence displacement, to provide the budyancy and sufcient
space for chemically fuelled or even nuclear systems. In July 1967
the US. Navy received Congressional approval for the construction
of the world’s rst nuclear—powered underwater research and
ocean engineering submersible, NR—I. At that time, construction
costs were estimated $ 583 million, almost d99ble the sum proposed
”for an earlierversion, and by the time NR—I was nally launched on
january 29, 1969, the costs had escalated even further to $67— 5
million. Special equipment, including gear for oceanographic
work, it was then estimated would add about 320 million to the bill.
Obviously such a vessel is well beyond normal commercial, non—
military investment and'most—operators have decided in favour of
small, lower—powered subrhersibles brought to the operations site
by a ‘parent’ vessel on the surface.
_
,
Of course, one way around the problem is to have an umbilical
connection to, surface
of electricity just as in the early
underwater houses. The Japanese submersible Kurosizio Il, Which
operates down to depths of 650 feet, trails an umbilical cable‘ 1,900
feet long bringing power from surface tender. But, on the whole,
tethered vehicles belong to an entirely different class of submersible
—-—the unmanned telechiric. Telechiric is, derived from the;Greek
_
Words for
hand’ and is an apt description: of these undèr—
water vehicles which are. controlled by, human :: operators …at: the
surface. The cable connection allows
operatOr to reèeivepict—dres
relayed' from-the vehiclëstelevisiœ ‘eyes’
carties his… control
signals as well as the power; needed for the machineto:-expedite
other words, the teleChirig‘: is a machine proxy: for man,
allowing him to carry outworkinïan alien world without anyhazard
himself
-”
,:f“
”J
.L,
“.'
"
earliest teledridmachines were found …in another alien
environment—the radioactive areas of nuclear
laboratories.
were a
tof
devices…that
scientists
leaded glass win—
dows to manipulate , Obje‘CtS in the radioactive cells Although some
manned vehichsSuCh Las the AmeriCanBætlc were built for this