this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2025
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350
In 2025, People Will Try Living in This Underwater Habitat (spectrum.ieee.org)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 99 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Because of its narcotic effect at high pressure, nitrogen shouldn’t be breathed by humans at depths below about 60 meters. So, at 200 meters, the breathing mix in the habitat will be 2 percent oxygen and 98 percent helium. But because of its very high thermal conductivity, “we need to heat helium to 31–32 °C to get a normal 21–22 °C internal temperature environment,”

😮

[–] [email protected] 41 points 4 days ago (2 children)

So everyone is gonna sound like mice when they get crushed under the weight of the ocean?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Hmm... maybe not? The low density of helium at 1 atm is what causes the amplification of higher frequencies in the voicebox, but in a pressurized container the gas would be higher density so it might offset the effect... I think?

[–] [email protected] 39 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If the original SeaLab tests in the 60s were any indication, YES. Check out Scott Carpenter’s voice on this recording with LBJ. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3wkh6s

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 days ago

Love the horribly confused operator trying to fix problems with her equipment before putting the call through to the president.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Apparently when doing saturation diving like that you can't even understand what the other person says, between the helium and the pressure the voice is too distorted to be intelligible.

You can communicate with a computer that transforms your voice to be intelligible but it is really not a pleasant conversation so you can stay there for weeks without having a conversation except for the bare minimum.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 days ago

What they mean is they will need to use the amount of energy that you would normally put into air to get it to 31° C, but the helium will only get to 21° C. At no point will the helium actually be 31° C.