James Cameron showed us new worlds in film like Avatar and The Abyss . So it ’s no curiosity that the film producer would want to explore the one we actually live in . Deepsea Challenge3D chronicles his journey to the expectant depths of the ocean — thanks to an unbelievable sub that Gizmodo recently had a probability to see up tight .
In March 2012 , Cameron piloted a one - man submersible called the Deepsea Challenger to the bottom of the Mariana Trench : The deepest part of the ocean , at 35,787 foot ( or about seven miles ) . He was only the second voyage down to these depth , which is part of his rationality for run low . You see , the world has been explore to death . But the sea ? The way Cameron sees it , it ’s the final frontier here on Earth .
And he ’s not amiss . harmonise to theNOAA , we ’ve only explored five percent of the sea . So Cameron ’s interest is very important , because for whatever reason , man do n’t seem to have as much desire to search the sea as we do , say , space . To put it into position , the Deepsea Challenger is the one and only watercraft capable of traveling to those depth .
The Deepsea Challenger is badass , and we got a chance to see it in person after a screening of the film at the American Museum of Natural History that include a Q&A with Neil Degrasse Tyson :
But back to Deepsea Challenger . Now , trip some 35,000 foot under water takes more than just a regular former sub . The vehicle has to be the good shape and size of it to withstand the immense pressure level feel that far under the sea . For example , Deepsea Challenger is a sphere , because they ’re the most impervious to atmospheric pressure . If it were a different flesh , like a piston chamber , the wall would have to be much thicker . It also does things like spin as it descend , so it does n’t get off course .
All of its 1,500 exterior circuit were custom - made for this particular motorcar , and it has more than 180 dissimilar systems — from battery pack to echo sounder — that are constantly operating during the nose dive . In instance you forgot that this is James Cameron we ’re spill about here , the bomber ’s four midget , custom - set , external HD television camera will prompt you .
This affair is so decked out that Cameron ’s ears did n’t even bulge as he descended . But he probably feel a bite claustrophobic , although he sound out in a Q&A academic session that he was n’t : The hero sandwich itself may be 24 feet - long , but the cockpit is just 43 inches astray — and it ’s wedge full of equipment . We look on Cameron crammed within , in a fetal position , unable to stretch his weapon all the style out . I felt my throat tighten up as I watch him try .
The film chronicles Cameron ’s journeying from build the vessel to doing test dives — the first of which just put the torpedo barely under water — to the actual full - on mission to the Mariana Trench . He had to undergo seven test dive before he in reality die the full 35,787 foundation . Why ? Because dive that deep is improbably risky . If there ’s so much as a fling in the armour of the vessel , you ’re be intimate . If piddle starts to seep in , the insistence is so great that it could literally tear you in half . Beyond that , any figure of systems could betray , there could be a fervor , instrument could malfunction , and you could die in an astounding variety of horrifying ways . Besides , we do n’t even really recognize what ’s down there — which is part of the understanding Cameron wanted to go in the first place .
Cameron is a hotshot filmmaker ( although I stand by the opinion that Avatar wet-nurse a productive one ) , but in Deepsea Challenge , we see another side of him : A brainy guy who craves geographic expedition . The way he describes his preference for this type of adventure is by describing his puerility in the sixty , the age of blank geographic expedition . His hungriness for exploration only grow , merging his passionateness for both diving and film in his movies . Take Titanic , for which , he took 12 deep sea dives to see the sunken ship . He ’s done 72 abstruse submergible dives total , but the Titanic dives really whet his appetite to see more — and to go deeper . From that view , Deepsea Challenge is the next logical dance step .
The film is fantastic , and it ’s in theaters today . If you’re able to see it in 3D , you should . It ’s one of the few films that really makes that extra dimension worth it .
James CameronMovies
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