0:00:00.720,0:00:04.215
David Biello: So Victor,[br]what have you been up to?

0:00:05.164,0:00:07.790
Victor Vescovo: That's the bottom[br]of the Atlantic Ocean,

0:00:07.790,0:00:10.692
and I guess I read too much[br]Jules Verne as a young boy,

0:00:10.692,0:00:14.700
and so for the last four years[br]I've led a team to design and build

0:00:14.700,0:00:16.088
what is now the most advanced

0:00:16.088,0:00:18.207
and deepest diving[br]submersible on the planet,

0:00:18.207,0:00:20.854
and I have the ability[br]to personally pilot it too.

0:00:20.960,0:00:23.243
So this was us in December of last year

0:00:23.243,0:00:24.355
for the first time --

0:00:24.355,0:00:25.943
the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

0:00:25.943,0:00:27.936
DB: And nobody's seen that before right?

0:00:27.936,0:00:28.938
That's just you.

0:00:28.938,0:00:29.836
VV: No --

0:00:29.836,0:00:31.243
well, now everybody else.

0:00:31.243,0:00:33.105
DB: Who does that?

0:00:33.450,0:00:34.795
Like --

0:00:34.795,0:00:38.660
VV: Well, I think everyone has seen[br]the developments in the last 10,15 years.

0:00:38.660,0:00:41.982
You have a bunch of people that have[br]the means to explore outer space,

0:00:41.982,0:00:44.303
like SpaceX or Blue Origin --

0:00:44.303,0:00:45.296
those guys --

0:00:45.296,0:00:47.024
and we're going the other direction.

0:00:47.024,0:00:48.156
So it's a wonderful era

0:00:48.156,0:00:50.383
of private individuals[br]spending their resources

0:00:50.383,0:00:53.019
to develop technologies[br]that can take us to places

0:00:53.019,0:00:54.799
that have never been explored before,

0:00:54.799,0:00:57.095
and the oceans of the world is --

0:00:57.095,0:01:00.857
it's almost a cliché to say[br]it's 70 percent of our entire planet,

0:01:00.857,0:01:02.946
and of that, 95 percent is unexplored.

0:01:03.164,0:01:05.586
So what we're trying[br]to do with our expedition

0:01:05.586,0:01:07.736
is to build and prove out a submersible

0:01:07.736,0:01:10.360
that can go to any point[br]on the bottom of the planet

0:01:10.360,0:01:14.413
to explore the 60 percent of this planet[br]that is still unexplored.

0:01:15.452,0:01:17.809
DB: You need a pretty cool tool[br]to do that, right?

0:01:17.809,0:01:18.810
VV: Right.

0:01:18.810,0:01:21.502
Now the tool is the submarine[br]the Limiting Factor.

0:01:21.502,0:01:23.152
It's a state-of-the-art vessel

0:01:23.152,0:01:25.490
supported by the support ship,[br]the Pressure Drop.

0:01:25.753,0:01:27.564
It has a two-person titanium sphere,

0:01:27.564,0:01:28.613
90 milimeters-thick,

0:01:28.613,0:01:30.138
that keeps it at one atmosphere,

0:01:30.138,0:01:32.732
and it has the ability to dive repeatedly

0:01:32.732,0:01:35.130
down to the very deepest[br]point of the ocean.

0:01:35.331,0:01:39.455
DB: So like the SpaceX[br]of ocean exploration?

0:01:39.455,0:01:42.049
VV: Yeah, it's kind of the SpaceX[br]of ocean exploration,

0:01:42.049,0:01:43.400
but I pilot my own vehicles.

0:01:44.073,0:01:45.653
(Laughter)

0:01:45.653,0:01:48.129
DB: Are you going to take Elon or...?

0:01:48.768,0:01:50.778
VV: Yeah, I could take someone down there.

0:01:50.778,0:01:52.619
So, Elon, I don't if you're listening,

0:01:52.619,0:01:55.486
I'll give you a ride in mine[br]if you give me a ride in yours.

0:01:55.486,0:01:57.316
(Laughter)

0:01:58.176,0:02:00.939
DB: So tell us what it's like down there.

0:02:00.939,0:02:04.281
I mean, we're talking about a place[br]where the pressure is so intense

0:02:04.281,0:02:06.901
that it's like putting[br]an Eiffel Tower on your toe.

0:02:06.901,0:02:08.100
VV: It's more than that.

0:02:08.100,0:02:09.335
It's about 16,000 psi.

0:02:09.673,0:02:12.098
So the issue is we have[br]this titanium sphere

0:02:12.098,0:02:14.512
that allows us to go down[br]to these extreme depths

0:02:14.512,0:02:15.820
and come up repeatedly.

0:02:16.197,0:02:17.638
That's never been done before.

0:02:17.638,0:02:19.853
The Challenger Deep has been dived twice,

0:02:19.853,0:02:23.157
once in 1960 and once in 2012[br]by James Cameron,

0:02:23.157,0:02:24.837
and they went down and came back up

0:02:24.837,0:02:26.465
and those were experimental craft.

0:02:26.465,0:02:28.998
This is the first commercially[br]certified submersible

0:02:28.998,0:02:32.265
that can go up and down[br]thousands of times with two people,

0:02:32.265,0:02:33.324
including a scientist.

0:02:33.324,0:02:34.324
We're very proud

0:02:34.324,0:02:37.510
that we just took down the deepest-diving[br]British citizen in history

0:02:37.510,0:02:38.543
just three weeks ago,

0:02:38.543,0:02:40.499
Dr. Alan Jamieson of Newcastle University

0:02:40.499,0:02:42.776
who was down with us on the Java Trench.

0:02:43.358,0:02:47.415
DB: So not too much freaks you out[br]is what I'm guessing.

0:02:48.040,0:02:50.170
VV: Well, it's a lot[br]different to go diving.

0:02:50.372,0:02:53.367
If you're claustrophobic you do not[br]want to be in the submarine.

0:02:53.367,0:02:54.685
We go down quite a distance

0:02:54.685,0:02:58.091
and the missions typically last[br]eight to nine hours in a confined space.

0:02:58.091,0:03:00.556
It's very different from[br]the career I had previously

0:03:00.556,0:03:03.509
which was mountain climbing[br]where you're in large, open spaces,

0:03:03.509,0:03:04.515
the wind is whipping,

0:03:04.515,0:03:05.515
it's very, very cold.

0:03:05.515,0:03:06.515
This is the opposite.

0:03:06.515,0:03:07.732
It's much more technical.

0:03:07.732,0:03:10.365
It's much more about precision[br]and using the instruments

0:03:10.365,0:03:12.565
and troubleshooting[br]anything that can go wrong.

0:03:12.565,0:03:15.518
But actually if something[br]really goes wrong in the submersible,

0:03:15.518,0:03:16.850
you're not going to know it.

0:03:16.850,0:03:17.849
(Laughter)

0:03:17.849,0:03:20.327
DB: So you're afraid of leaks[br]is what you're saying.

0:03:20.327,0:03:21.434
VV: Leaks are not good,

0:03:21.434,0:03:23.150
but if it's a leak that's happening,

0:03:23.150,0:03:24.625
well at least it's not that bad

0:03:24.625,0:03:27.625
because if it was really bad[br]you wouldn't know it, again but --

0:03:27.625,0:03:29.077
you know, fire in the capsule,

0:03:29.077,0:03:30.522
that wouldn't be good either,

0:03:30.522,0:03:32.961
but no, it's actually a very,[br]very safe submersible.

0:03:32.961,0:03:35.425
I like to say I don't trust[br]a lot of things in life,

0:03:35.425,0:03:36.577
but I do trust titanium,

0:03:36.577,0:03:37.579
I trust math

0:03:37.579,0:03:39.299
and I trust Finite Element Analysis,

0:03:39.299,0:03:40.596
which is how you figure out

0:03:40.596,0:03:42.620
whether or not[br]things like this can survive

0:03:42.620,0:03:44.851
these extraordinary[br]pressures and conditions.

0:03:44.851,0:03:47.359
DB: And that sphere[br]is so perfectly machined, right?

0:03:47.359,0:03:48.962
This is a truly unique craft.

0:03:49.137,0:03:50.587
VV: That was the real trick --

0:03:50.587,0:03:52.464
is actually building a titanium sphere

0:03:52.464,0:03:55.504
that was accurate[br]to within .1 percent of machine.

0:03:55.504,0:03:56.989
Titanium is a hard mill to work

0:03:56.989,0:03:58.996
and a lot of people haven't[br]figured it out,

0:03:58.996,0:04:00.285
but we were very fortunate.

0:04:00.285,0:04:02.335
I've been working[br]with an extraordinary team

0:04:02.335,0:04:04.527
that was able to make[br]an almost perfect sphere,

0:04:04.527,0:04:06.913
which when you're subjecting[br]something to pressure,

0:04:06.913,0:04:08.913
that's the strongest[br]geometry you can have.

0:04:08.913,0:04:11.243
When I'm in the submersible[br]and that hatch closes,

0:04:11.243,0:04:12.677
I actually feel very confident

0:04:12.677,0:04:14.693
that I'm going to go down[br]and come back up.

0:04:14.693,0:04:16.800
DB: And that's the thing[br]you double-check --

0:04:16.800,0:04:17.991
that the hatch is closed?

0:04:17.991,0:04:20.393
VV: There are only two rules[br]in diving a submarine.

0:04:20.393,0:04:22.259
Number one is close the hatch securely.

0:04:22.259,0:04:24.254
Number two is go back to rule number one.

0:04:24.254,0:04:25.758
DB: Alright so, Atlantic Ocean:

0:04:25.758,0:04:26.758
check.

0:04:26.758,0:04:28.017
Southern Ocean:

0:04:28.017,0:04:29.019
check --

0:04:29.019,0:04:31.482
VV: No one has ever dived[br]the Southern Ocean before.

0:04:31.482,0:04:32.478
I know why.

0:04:32.478,0:04:33.822
It's really, really hostile.

0:04:33.822,0:04:35.085
The weather is awful.

0:04:35.085,0:04:37.085
The word collision comes to mind.

0:04:37.302,0:04:38.843
But we did that one, yes.

0:04:39.139,0:04:40.211
Glad that's over --

0:04:40.211,0:04:41.209
DB: Yeah --

0:04:41.209,0:04:42.207
VV: Thank you

0:04:42.207,0:04:43.213
(Applause)

0:04:43.213,0:04:45.215
DB: It's like you're racing through it.

0:04:45.215,0:04:46.472
And now the Indian Ocean,

0:04:46.472,0:04:47.679
as Kelly mentioned.

0:04:47.679,0:04:49.363
VV: Yeah, that was three weeks ago.

0:04:49.363,0:04:51.938
We were fortunate enough[br]to actually solve the mystery.

0:04:51.938,0:04:53.913
If someone had asked me three weeks ago,

0:04:53.913,0:04:56.386
"What is the deepest point[br]in the Indian Ocean?"

0:04:56.386,0:04:57.618
no one really knew.

0:04:57.618,0:04:58.957
There were two candidates,

0:04:58.957,0:05:01.633
one off of Western Australia[br]and one in the Java Trench.

0:05:01.633,0:05:04.017
We have this wonderful ship[br]with a brilliant sonar.

0:05:04.017,0:05:05.118
We mapped both of them.

0:05:05.118,0:05:07.534
We sent landers down[br]to the bottom and verified,

0:05:07.534,0:05:10.137
it's actually in the center portion[br]of the Java Trench,

0:05:10.137,0:05:12.054
which is where no one thought it was.

0:05:12.054,0:05:14.825
In fact, every time we've completed[br]one of our major dives,

0:05:14.825,0:05:17.120
we have to run off [br]to Wikipedia and change it

0:05:17.120,0:05:18.621
because it's completely wrong.

0:05:18.621,0:05:19.621
(Laughter)

0:05:20.424,0:05:23.526
DB: So it probably takes longer[br]to get down there

0:05:23.526,0:05:25.677
than the time you're able[br]to spend down there?

0:05:25.908,0:05:28.664
VV: No, we actually spend[br]quite a bit of time.

0:05:28.965,0:05:31.440
I have four days of oxygen[br]supply in the vessel.

0:05:31.653,0:05:33.239
If I'm down there for four days,

0:05:33.239,0:05:36.021
something's gone so wrong[br]I'm probably not going to use it,

0:05:36.021,0:05:39.005
but it about three-hours down[br]to the deepest part of the ocean

0:05:39.005,0:05:41.566
and then we can spend[br]usually three or four hours

0:05:41.566,0:05:43.121
and then another three hours up.

0:05:43.121,0:05:46.124
So you don't want to stay in there[br]for more than 10 or 11 hours.

0:05:46.124,0:05:47.417
It can get a little tight.

0:05:47.417,0:05:49.604
DB: Alright, so the bottom[br]of the Indian Ocean,

0:05:49.604,0:05:54.286
and this is something that no one[br]besides you has ever seen before --

0:05:54.286,0:05:58.200
VV: This is actually imagery[br]from one of our robotic landers.

0:05:58.200,0:06:01.010
On the bottom-right you can actually[br]see a robust assfish --

0:06:01.010,0:06:02.728
that's what it's actually called --

0:06:02.728,0:06:03.731
(Laughter)

0:06:03.731,0:06:07.081
but you can see from the left[br]a creature that's never been seen before.

0:06:07.081,0:06:10.293
It's actually a bottom-dwelling jellyfish[br]called a stalked ascidian,

0:06:10.293,0:06:12.677
and none of them have ever[br]looked like this before.

0:06:12.677,0:06:15.368
It actually has a small child[br]at the bottom of its stalk,

0:06:15.368,0:06:17.522
and it just drifted across beautifully.

0:06:17.713,0:06:20.310
So every single dive we have gone on,

0:06:20.310,0:06:22.934
even though we're only down there[br]for a couple of hours,

0:06:22.934,0:06:24.845
we have found three or four new species

0:06:24.845,0:06:28.141
because these are places that have[br]been isolated for billions of years

0:06:28.141,0:06:31.609
and no human being has ever[br]been down there to film them

0:06:31.609,0:06:32.736
or take samples.

0:06:32.736,0:06:34.576
And so this is extraordinary for us --

0:06:34.576,0:06:37.074
(Applause)

0:06:37.074,0:06:38.382
So what we are hoping --

0:06:38.382,0:06:41.512
the main objective of our mission[br]is to build this tool.

0:06:41.737,0:06:43.340
This tool is a door,

0:06:43.340,0:06:44.646
because with this tool,

0:06:44.646,0:06:46.824
we'll be able to make[br]more of them potentially

0:06:46.824,0:06:49.270
and take scientists down[br]to do thousands of dives

0:06:49.270,0:06:51.466
to open that door to exploration

0:06:51.466,0:06:54.153
and find things that we[br]had no idea even existed.

0:06:54.759,0:06:59.511
DB: And so more people have been[br]to space than the bottom of the ocean.

0:06:59.646,0:07:01.064
You're one of three.

0:07:01.246,0:07:02.845
You're going to up that number,

0:07:02.845,0:07:04.254
you're going to give it away.

0:07:04.254,0:07:07.527
VV: Yeah, three people have dived[br]to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

0:07:07.527,0:07:09.531
[The Trieste] in 1960[br]with two individuals,

0:07:09.531,0:07:12.088
James Cameron in 2012[br]with his Deep Sea Challenger --

0:07:12.088,0:07:13.085
thank you, Jim,

0:07:13.085,0:07:14.087
great sub.

0:07:14.087,0:07:15.904
This is a third-generation technology.

0:07:15.904,0:07:17.813
We're not only going to try and go down,

0:07:17.813,0:07:18.873
actually in two weeks,

0:07:18.873,0:07:21.119
but we're going to try[br]and do it multiple times,

0:07:21.119,0:07:22.687
which has never been done before.

0:07:22.687,0:07:23.687
If we can do that,

0:07:23.687,0:07:25.236
we'll have proven the technology

0:07:25.236,0:07:26.978
and that door will not just go open,

0:07:26.978,0:07:27.979
it will stay open.

0:07:27.979,0:07:30.816
(Applause)

0:07:30.816,0:07:31.821
DB: Fantastic.

0:07:31.821,0:07:32.820
Good luck.

0:07:32.820,0:07:34.015
VV: Thank you very much.

0:07:34.015,0:07:35.019
DB: Thank you.

0:07:35.019,0:07:36.024
VV: Thank you all.

0:07:36.024,0:07:37.473
(Applause)