Quote Originally Posted by Stuart View Post
I didn't realize that we have been all the way to the bottom of Mariana's Trench.
The difference between a combat sub and the bottom of that trench is mind blowing. I've seen/heard that Sperm whales dived deep and ate squid, but this really puts it in perspective. Those sharks, whales, squid, and other deep sea fish are privy to stuff that we mostly have no idea about...
Yeah it's a pretty cool story. Guy's name was Picard, the ship was called Trieste. The vessel was essentially a hot air balloon, in reverse. The upper positive buoyancy portion was a fuel of some time that isn't compressible. The passenger compartment was basically a sphere with tiny windows... here Wikipedia does it better with pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathyscaphe_Trieste When they got to the bottom, they dropped some weights and "floated" back to the surface.

I can't believe we haven't been back since '65. I mean, the moon is a Saturn V away, so OK, I guess. But the Challenger Deep is there, and we have no idea what it looks like. We haven't even sent cameras down. Let's get some IMAX down there!

H.