WALKING IN THE RECESSES OF THE DEEP!

I did promise to tell you about men going Galacticos in my last post the day before yesterday. I said I was gonna do so yesterday but how time flies! Sorry I kept you hanging. So why does the heading of this post read 'the Deep?'. Hang on a sec you will find out soon enough. But first the Heights!

In the past going to space meant being an Astronaut or Cosmonaut in a space programme and the like.

With the conquest of space it was only a matter of time before entrepreneurs ventured forth. And before you jeer that the clientele is limited, Dennis Tito the first man to blast into space paid Russian space chiefs a quite robust $20 million AND Mark Shuttleworth a South African paid a whopping 14 million Pounds Sterling to shuttle to space (living true to his name-'shuttle' 'worth'. Hahaha there I go again with names!)

The commercial entrepreneurs who has ventured into the field includes Space Adventurers and Virgin Galactic amongst others.

Well things have moved pretty fast since then and now just about anybody can go to space. 

Did I say anybody can go to space?

Yes anybody so inclined and who's got up to a meagre $200,000 can now book a space to Space (excuse the pun) on Virgin Galactic. 430 spaces of a possible 450 have already been grabbed!

I am sure you are itching to see the extraterrestrial vehicle that will convey them to space. 

Well here is what it looks like:

Too technical for you? Ok I'll indulge you with a video.

You are smiling now. Amazing stuff innit?

So pretty soon we should have our first cats or dogs or pigeons or pythons or crocs just about any pet in the long list of pet animals people love to keep in space.

It's space tourism baby! and it's for big boys and girls. The kind I like to roll with.

Well this stuff got me thinking as usual. But before I tell you my thoughts.

Let's pause and ponder...

With so much hunger and disease and spiraling debts owed by nations and individuals alike, and occupy wall street protests, and so much ill plaguing our world, why would anyone want to spend thousands of dollars going into space? That is a possible question on your lips. The questions raises issues of fundamental fairness. But do not throw a pity party. No one said life was fair!

Anyway the reasons are the same with why anyone would want to buy a Rolls Royce Phantom or own a Palace or own an obscenely priced artwork or own an expensive piece of jewelry or clothing. It's about passion. Ego. Bragging Rights. Accomplishment. Fulfillment. Adventure. Insensitivity. The motive is endless and in my opinion may even be irrelevant in this context.

While it may validly be argued that Commercial space tourism serves no purpose whatsoever since it is not a research oriented venture, I prefer to see things a little differently.

I am a Lawyer after all. How much more longer before we need laws and lawyers for cases up there? You know that wherever you have humans, the potential for conflicts exist. What law would govern an out of space assault or brawl? You think millionaires don't brawl? they are not exactly from out of space you know? In the event of a legally cognizable altercation in space, is it beyond the reach of terrestrial jurisdiction? Envisage real estate acquisition and completion and post completion matters. (This is possible at least in theory maybe in Mars some day.) 

Aha now you get my making. We would explore that and many other potential matters arising in another post some other day.

In the meantime you can read all about the amazing entrepreneurial stuff going on in Virgin Galactic here.

But this blog is about the seas. So why has my last two posts started with tales regarding the skies. Apart from the fact that I love the skies as well, it is mainly because they are in many ways connected.

Which brings me to what I was thinking about the seas! 

Is there a future for commercial ocean depth tourism? Has man developed the technological capabilities to conquer the depths of the oceans and organize aquatic expeditions into it's depths? 

The Oceans can be quite deep with as many as 22 trenches scattered all over the Oceans (8 are in the Pacific Ocean, three in the Atlantic Ocean, and one in the Indian Ocean.). Trenches are amongst the deepest parts of the Oceans. 

The Mariana Trench the deepest part of the Ocean is so deep that "If Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth at 8,850 metres (29,040 ft), was set in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, there would be 2,060 metres (6,760 ft) of water left above it"

We are talking a depth of over 35,800 feet here.

Think about it for a moment.

A live living expedition that would take you into the ocean depths within a well oxygenated cabin; built in such a way that you can see all around you (a kind of moving aquarium with the aquarium  as the ocean space and the spectators in the ocean submarine capsule, gazing safely and benignly on the creatures of the deep.) Imagine the thrill of seeing all kinds of creatures in their natural habitat- the great whales and what have you, the sea witches and wizards (just kidding!) and creatures yet unknown to mankind (maybe even sea aliens! Haha does would be mermaids and mermen I presume.)

It would be scintillating stuff wouldn't it?

From what we know of the ocean, going that deep down is almost akin to a mission impossible due to the crushing pressure of the ocean's depths which exceeds 10 million pounds of pressure!

I do know of a pair though trying to accomplish the seeming impossible.

Richard Branson as sponsor and Chris Welsh as adventurer. Branson revealed in April, 2011 that Welsh had found a potential technological solution to the crushing pressure- a quartz dome that can withstand 13 million pounds of pressure! (are you still wondering why this Branson guy is the Billionaire that he is?) You can read all about this amazing venture here. 

It's still early days though.

But my tendency for futuristic thinking got me taking the basic idea of a plunge in the deep a step further to the time in the very near future when it will be possible for commercial as opposed to scientific sojourns to the deep. 

Perhaps various ocean depth ranges could be plotted in addition to the moving aquarium concept earlier advocated.

It sounds like fun. Let's leave the legal brouhaha of a suitable legal regime for another day (you will be amazed at how many laws and conventions already exist that can be adapted or extended to cover some of these not so novel issues). I will get all scholarly soon on those issues and I'll be sure to direct you to a place where you could indulge yourself adequately in my legal adumbration.

Suffice it to say that the ocean depth has long held a primordial fascination for man. 

A look at Jobs 38: 16 reveals this poser-

"Have you entered into the springs of the sea Or walked in the recesses of the deep?"

Walking in the recesses of the deep. Now that is deep!

I would leave you with an aquatic experience a mere 7,000 feet deep that can stoke your ocean aquatic marine fantasies and get you singing 'How great is our God' even if you are an Atheist! (But seriously are there actually people who don't believe in a God? So all of these things are accidental? A mere quirk of nature? But if it were, who is responsible for that quirk or accident or big bang or whatever? I'll never be convinced otherwise that there is no God.)

Now here the curtain falls. Enjoy!