/sci/ - Science & Math

....And here is our only undersea laboratory, Aquarius.

Aquarius is largest, more technologically advanced and greatly more comfortable for the scientists on board. Compact aircon and dehumidifiers are the biggest improvement, as well as the computers necessary for the automated support buoy, a big improvement over the support barges or ocean platforms formerly used to support undersea bases.

Why? Because it's cheaper than space, and there's plenty of exotic new lifeforms waiting to be found in the ocean. A new one seems to turn up every week in the news, but dive missions from the surface can't last more than an hour or two and can't go very deep. Habitats make it possible to go deeper, dive longer and examine specimens at their native pressure rather than having them disintegrate as they're brought up to the surface.

Pic related, it's Aquarius, the only operational undersea habitat in the world. Most others were shut down because the technology of the day was inadequate; they were hot, incredibly humid and miserable to live in for more than a few hours. Aquarius benefits from what we've learned since; it has a separated "wet room" that prevents the spread of humid air, and active aircon and dehumidifiers.

Live webcam views of Aquarius:

Inside: http://nurc.net/mainlock.htm

Outside 1: http://nurc.net/outland.htm

Outside 2: http://nurc.net/ros.htm