Naval Experimental Manned Observatory (NEMO)

Description

OF DEPARTMENT NEWSFILM RELEASE OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) UNITED STATES AMERICAN WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 OF PLEASE NOTE DATE IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 15, 1971 OXford 76161 Number 171-71 Footage: 78' 16mm Color Master Room 2E 773 Time: 2:10 NAVAL EXPERIMENTAL MANNED OBSERVATORY (NEMO) (Official U. S. Navy Film Released by the Department of Defense) Scientists and engineers (non-divers) involved in underwater research, con- struction and/or salvage work, needed some type of capsule to transport them to substantial depths for firsthand inspection, observation and direction. To meet that need, the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Fort Hueneme, California, designed and developed NEMO, a transparent, pressure resistant diving chamber certified by the Navy for dives to 600 feet. The NEMO system consists of a 66 inch. clear acrylic hull fabricated of 12 spherical pentagonal sections, a steel entry hatch at the top, another at the bottom through which power, life support and communications lines enter the sphere from their module below. All ballasting, anchoring and other sub-support systems are housed in the capsule below. The sphere itself is 2.5 inches thick and has been tested to depths in excess of 4,000 feet in a pressure vessel. The system, capable of station keeping by using its self-contained winch, will transport two men, a pilot and observer, in shirt-sleeve comfort in a simulated sea-level atmosphere. The pressure resistant sphere will provide panoramic visibility of the hydrospace environment, an achievement considered a breakthrough for scientists and engineers involved in underwater research, construction and salvage operations. SEQUENCES FOOTAGE VIDEO 13 (a) NEMO is placed in water and final checks are made prior to diving. 3 (b) NEMO begins its dive 62 (c) Pilot and Observer inside NEMO work in simulated sea- level atmosphere as NEMO continues to dive - MORE -

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases