Classic Project [Time Out Blueprint]

THE 1960s was a time of huge advancement in human exploration. But while the eyes of the headline writers were on Nasa???s Apollo programme and events leading up to the lunar landings, nobody really noticed that the US Navy was pushing back another equally important frontier: the ocean depths. While it was the space race that captured the public???s imagination, the development of underwater habitats was accelerating, with research stations being built by scientists such as Jacques Cousteau. But it was the US Navy that led the way with its Sealab programme, which in three phases spanned most of the decade before its abrupt closure. The main purpose of the initial programme was to conduct research into the physiological aspects of saturation diving. The idea was that by providing divers with a pressurised subsea habitat, their ability to work underwater for longer periods would be increased, while the amount of time spent in decompression would be reduced.