Marine Sciences and Development

For a planet called Earth we have an awfull lot of ocean; and we don't know much about it ,or do much with it. About 70% of this planet is covered (on average) with about a mile of seawater. That's a lot of volume, and some of our information about it is centuries out of date. We still have islands marked on the charts as miles away from their true position. (we have better maps of the Moon or Venus than the deep oceans)

The ocean may seem like a stange place to settle (cold dark depths, weird animals, crushing presure, and nowhere to stand or build on). But it has several serious advantages. Its the most habitable alien environment we've found in the solar system. Its rich in food, air, and (with a bit of cleaning) water. Its filled with valuble minirals. Its close at hand and cheap and easy to get to (assuming you have a boat or submarine). Their had been serious interest in starting deap sea mining of rare minnerals (until it was tied up in red tape at the U.N.), and such mining could pay for a lot of deap ocean equipment. Floating cities are possible. In short settling the middle of the ocean would have some definate advantages. We haven't really tried anything yet, but some people have ideas on changing that.

Lycos Science_and_Technology Oceanography.

Oceania -- The Atlantis Project

Sea City

A project to build a floating city near England.

Millennial Society

They want to colonize space, but they first want to colonize the surface and subsurface of the oceans, for practice.

ARCOSANTI

This is a group studying, and trying to build, huge megastructures. I.E. single building cities. Not to viable in an urban seting, but for floating cities (wich half to be built as one continuous structure, this could be a good template.

Comercial submarines anyone?

U.S. Submarines, Inc. is a firm involved in the design, engineering and construction of diesel electric submarines and manned submersibles. Currently all of their work has been with tourist submersibles (they're currently working on a 66 passenger all acrylic tourist sub.) and small manned scientific research subs. But they are marketing a series of personal luxury submarines. No one has ordered one yet, but people have contracted for a couple of design and engineering studies of them. The largest being for a 218 foot, $75 million dollar monster ultra-yacht.

They look like any other luxury ultra-yacht on the surface, but they could dive to a 1000 feet deep and stay submerged (in airconditioned comfort) for days. With range and speed (above and below the water) that are way beyond anything the old military diesel electric submarines had, and with enough luxury to interest the ultra rich in droping tens of millions of dollars on one of the big ones.

Welcome to the oceans 21st century.

Lockheed's Deep Quest Submarine.

Deep Flight, Taking the Plunge Inventor Graham Hawkes has built a revolutionary submersible he intends to pilot to the unexplored depths of the ocean floor.

DSOG WWW Page (alvin/woodshole

JASON Project: The NR-1 Submarine

ROV UNDERWATER EQUIPMENT SALVAGE

ROV UNDERWATER VEHICLES

Submersibles & Divers list