No! Down in the water!
Since the subject of (stealth?) submarines comes up from time to time in our explorations, I thought I’d pass on this story about Steve Fossett’s Super Secret Flying, Diving, Space Bound Submersible that was recently sent to me:
Unbeknownst to most of the world, the late super rich adventurer Steve Fossett had started work on an amazing flying submersible that would one day theoretically touch the stars. More importantly, however, was that the design would have allowed adventurers and scientists alike (and most importantly Fossett himself, of course) to venture into the deadly depths of the Mariana Trench, some 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. Sadly, the design was put on hold immediately after Fossett went missing about one year ago, but that hasn’t stopped San Anselmo inventor Graham Hawkes from detailing the project that Fossett tapped him to create two years before his death.
Morgan always did say we’d be surprised to learn of some of the things that roam beneath the surface of the seas. And like I told somebody over the weekend, submarines are easier to conceal than, say, aircraft. Still you have to wonder what means of propulsion a craft like the one envisioned here would employ….??
There is another story about Fosset’s “flying submersible in the Marin Independent Journal:
The Hawkes say they were four weeks away from launching the “Deep
Flight Challenger” when news came of Fossett’s disappearance. The
submersible is now owned by the explorer’s estate, and Hawkes is unsure
whether it will ever get to make its historic dive. The couple would
not disclose the cost of the vehicle.“He would have felt as though he was traveling beyond the reach of his
fellow man,” Hawkes said. “The deep ocean is an incredibly beautiful,
peaceful place. You’re surrounded by strange life forms, and you’re
seeing a place on the planet that no one has seen before. If people
understood what it was like, it would be crowded down there.”
The subject is being discussed in our forums.