Deepsea Challenger, this is the amazing submarine with which James Cameron descended to the deepest point of the ocean

“The design of the submarine required things that did not exist.” James Cameron, the renowned filmmaker behind movies like ‘titanic‘ and ‘Avatar‘, thus described the huge challenge to build the technological prodigy that allowed him to make a historic and risky dive to the deepest point of the ocean on March 26, 2012.

We are talking about the Deepsea Challenger, an underwater vessel specifically designed to explore the Marianas Trench, an oceanic abyss located more than 10,000 meters deep inhabited by a varied number of species and even home to plastic bags and candy wrappers that will remain there for a long time.

Bearing the enormous pressure, the real challenge

But witnessing that fantastic marine scene live is not an easy task. The main challenge facing anyone who wishes to do so is having a structure with life support and propulsion system strong enough to withstand dangerous water pressure at such extreme depths.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for every 10.6 meters of immersion in the sea, the water pressure increases by one atmosphere. Cameron’s idea to meet the ambitious goal he had set himself was to design a submarine with cutting-edge technology from scratch.

The project became a multi-institutional effort spearheaded by the National Geographic Society (NGS) and led by engineer Ron Allum. One of the key elements for the construction of the Deepsea Challenger was the development of a new type of structural syntactic foam.

As explained by National Geographic70% of the volume of the ship in which Cameron submerged was made up of this foam, capable of shrinking about 6.4 centimeters (2.5 inches) in the scenario of greatest pressure in the Mariana Trench without endangering the safety of the filmmaker and the systems on board.

The cockpit was a small sphere only 109 centimeters wide that provided very little freedom of movement. The spherical design had several reasons. One of them, they explain, is that, if the cabin had had a different shape, “the 6.4-centimeter steel walls would have had to be three times as thick.”

Another unique aspect of the submersible was the cockpit porthole. Instead of being made of glass, those responsible for the project chose to use optical acrylic, a material that can also change shape under the pressure of depth without cracking or breaking, all while providing a wide field of vision.

Unlike other types of submarines, the Deepsea Challenger, Cameron says, moved “like a seahorse”, that is, in a vertical position. It was equipped with more than 180 systems on board which included life support systems, 3D cameras, controls, touch screens and a set of 40 LED spotlights to illuminate the adventure.

The submersible could easily reach the depths and stay there thanks to 500-kilogram weights. Later it could move at a maximum speed of 3 knots thanks to a dozen thrusters powered by lithium batteries. At the end of the mission, the ballast weight was released, and Deepsea made its way rapidly towards the surface.

Images: Wight Expedition Films/National Geographic

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