April 11, 2005
PX15
Forgotten explorers:
On July 16, 1969, mankind had its eyes fixed on the stars as Apollo 11 headed toward the moon . . .The deep-sea mission is now the subject of a TV documentary; read more here.Two days earlier, an equally perilous mission saw six men lock themselves inside the submersible Ben Franklin, or PX15, for a 30-day dive into the Gulf Stream off Cape Canaveral.
The men were on a voyage to map the Gulf Stream, chart its life and, more important, find out how men could exist in a sealed, self-sustaining environment for an extended period of time.
Posted by David on April 11, 2005 10:01 PM
What a fascinating story! Just goes to show you, timing is everything (even in the negative).
Posted by: Sarah
on April 12, 2005 2:21 PM
If I'm not mistaken, at the end of that mission, a call was placed from one of the Navy guys to the president.
The Navy guy was in a decompression chamber, breathing helium, with the natural effect on his voice.
The White House operator thought he was a prankster.
Recordings of this phone call have been played on the radio. Might have been on This American Life, or it might have been on NPR's series "Lost and Found Sounds".
Posted by: Jon H on April 12, 2005 9:42 PM
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