/sci/ - Science & Math

>>3623430

>You almost offset all those 'benefits' with the pressure-protection measures you have to take.

You don't have to take any such precautions for most undersea dwellings because they are what's called "ambient pressure". That means the interior air is at the same or slightly greater pressure than the outside water so there's essentially no pressure differential. They can be made from something as flimsy as plastic provided it's held in shape (against a few tons of buoyancy) by a steel exoskeleton.

Pic related, prototype Atlantica Expeditions habitat, mostly kevlar.

>>3605453

FYI, this is what it gets you. Each habitat is large enough to sleep two on fold-down cots and has the same interior space as a modest trailer. There's a small kitchenette (minifridge, microwave, sink) and an entertainment console (flat panel LCD built into the wall with compact DVD player) included. It's not a mansion, but for the price of a decent car, it's pretty reasonable.

>>3551207

>Seems interesting, but for the sake of efficiency, could you make bigger units?

I can't, no. Not my design, not my company, not my call. The reason they are that size is because they are designed to be movable by boat trailer, and deployed via boat ramp. A huge chunk of the cost of an underwater habitat is simply moving it from where it is built to the coast and deploying it as they weigh many tons, which they need to in order to stay underwater in spite of being full of air. This means large habitats require hefty cranes, rail transport and A-frame barges.

They are pretty much the biggest they can be while at the same time being deployable and transportable using cheap equipment meant for boats.

They are more spacious than they look though, pic related.

>>3342159

>>Think of me as the guy your pitching your idea to at the loan office who actually knows mechanical systems and is very very pragmatic

No, because it's not your call. For this entire thread you've been subtly trying to set yourself up as arbiter of which technologies deserve funding, but you don't have that authority and never will.

Pic at left shows founder of the Atlantica Expeditions in prototype habitat. A larger prototype will be demonstrated in 2012. I am one of 152 who will each spend 24 hours onboard performing an experiment of our choosing. In 2015, a permanent civilian colony will be sunk in the gulf stream.

Soon, there will be human beings living underwater. Not all, but some. You can deny it, but you can't stop it.

>>3257946

>>We're never going to live in the water. Seaquest was a shitty greenpeace star trek clone that had zero good ideas.

The Atlantica Expeditions founder mway disagree. He is pictured here in a living module prototype, as shown in the top right of this infographic >>3257929

You may argue that it's impractical or a poor idea, but he has the money and the technical knowledge and he's determined to make it happen. I should know, I'm one of the participants in the 2012 test run of the shallow water habitat which will prove the viability of the systems to be used later aboard the permanent civilian colony.

This is a real thing that is happening, as confounding as you may find it.

Here's the designer and head of the organization sitting inside a prototype in which aquanaut Rick Prestly set the current world record for undersea habitation in 1998. The new habitats have the same bay window design but are taller, and about three times longer to make room for a kitchen and bathroom.

>>2298738

>>How much would the units cost?

For the 2 man unit, the price quoted to me was $35,000. No word on the price of a 4 man unit. I'd expect it's around $50-60k.

>>What other costs would you have on a monthly basis?

You'll be able to easily trap enough crab, fish, and shrimp to cover most of your nutritional needs. But things like garbage bags, utensils, toilet paper, groceries (You'll need more than just seafood to live on) would add to your expenses/

Power and air is provided by solar buoys, which run surface compressors (or possibly centrifugal sea water separators) which run only to top up banks of exterior scuba tanks. Because of these tanks the habitats can be fed by a slow trickle of fresh air, with CO2 actively removed, reducing the amount of electricity needed (as the alternative would be running the compressors 24/7 to replenish the atmosphere faster than the oxygen could be depleted).

Here's what the view from inside looks like out the front window. This is Chamberland in the module prototype which he built back when he was still working for NASA. The final module doesn't differ much except it has a larger cupola and the body of the module is twice as long to make room for the small kitchen, toilet and shower.

>>2248120

>>that is pretty cool looking but i would like to know how much a living space would cost

See: >>2248049

$35,000 for a two person unit. It's about as spacious as an RV. Here's what the inside looks like.

The interior of a Leviathan prototype; about 7 feet total vertical space, so basketball players need not apply. There's a small viewing dome up top (not pictured here, but can be seen in the OP image) and large picture windows around the sides to let in natural light. They're reinforced for safety and actually one of the strongest parts of the structure.

>>2130956

>>I'm working with a hostile environment habitat project, we're using what amounts to kevlar's big brother for pressure containment.

Woah, really? Chamberland's colony modules use composite kevlar hulls. Plastic inside, fiberglass outside, kevlar between kept rigid by a steel skeleton. Pic related.

>>You've seen those guys with the giant air bubble underwater, held in by a net and tarp? Same idea, but less of the moon pool thing to reduce humidity problems.

I had that exact idea. Rigid steel base where you'd affix ballast, with a huge inflatable vectran bubble. Once at slight overpressure you could get inside through the hatch on the underside and set up the 2nd story platform. The finished 2 story structure could then be furnished. The plan was to line the rim with wheatgrass or algae planters to refresh the air.

Because this is essentially a one man endeavor it's not the grand futuristic vision of undersea colonies we might hope for, but rather a tried and true network of compact interconnected modules. Not steel cylinders thankfully but angular composite kevlar enclosures with acrylic windows.

Pic related, the interior of the prototype. The final family modules will have room to stand up and be about three times as long.

>>Mfw I realized that the first undersea colony is being built by a dude with the last name "Chamberland". A land....of chambers, you might say.

>>2012593

>>Seriously though, Mad Scientist, can't we all just get along between seafags and spacefags? Let's be like Charles Pellegrino, bit by bit.

Haha, of course bro. It's all in fun. I'd be shocked to learn any of that was actually getting under someone's skin.

A gifted, experienced citizen has the means to colonize the sea. No one, as of yet, has the means to colonize the moon or mars. The barrier to sea floor colonization is lower as you succumb to the Earth's gravity well, rather than fighting it, to get to your destination.

This guy right here will undoubtedly be the first to colonize the sea. For the past decade he's raised money, bought two support vessels, a submarine/habitat hybrid and a prototype habitat (pictured) in pursuit of his "Atlantica Expeditions".

Currently he's constructing the New Worlds Explorer and the Leviathan, two of the first modular capsules that will become the foundation for an undersea colony open to anyone willing to live and work permanently in the sea.

http://www.underseacolony.com/

Dennis Chamberland has similar aspirations but he hopes to build the colony with sponsor money and then invite people to come live in it. Mass production and offering people the ability to own their own habitat will speed up the homesteading movement considerably.

>>1915034
>>I don't care about the ocean.

Other people do, however. The world's largest undersea resort is presently under construction, the US currently operates an undersea science lab with plans for another, There's a private ocean floor base for divers called Sea Base 1 under construction near Belize, and the first civilian undersea colony is under construction by Dennis Chamberland, ex-NASA engineer funded by scuba company sponsorships and private donors. The first two capsules will be sunk in 2012.

Pic related.

>>1907571

>>Have you thought about approaching a university to see if you could get funding?

This is how I plan to fund the man-rated habitat. Either that or venture capitalists.

I was planning on pitching the idea of portable, camper-trailer sized habitats you could tow to the coast, deploy via boat ramp, pull to the site via boat and then sink. They would continually replenish their air supply via scuba tanks. You'd keep another set compressing on shore and swap out the set every few days. Alternatively if you're near enough to the shore you could run an included umbilical down to it, from air compressors in your truck or mounted on your car's overhead rack. They could be gas powered or plugged into the grid.

According to the fellow in the photo, an ex-NASA engineer currently building the first civilian undersea colony, such habitats would cost roughly $35,000 if sold for a reasonable profit. It would make it possible to enjoy the perks of coastal living without paying the exorbitant price for a beachside condo. Past a short distance from land, there's no law which prevents anyone from living on the sea floor.

>>1899634

http://www.underseacolony.com/

Pic related. It's the dude in one of his prototype habitats.