The Bathyscaphe Trieste was the first and only submarine to take humans to the ocean's deepest spot, the 7-mile-deep, appropriately named spot Challenger Deep.
Now Director James Cameron has asked Australian designers to build a submarine that can dive 36,000 feet beneath the surface of the ocean. He could win a $10 million X Prize and shoot footage for the “Avatar†sequel simultaneously.
The submarine will be made of composite materials and powered by electric motors. It will go seven miles below the surface of the ocean where Cameron hopes to shoot 3-D footage for the second Avatar film reportedly set in the fictional oceans of Pandora.
The sub will explore the Challenger Deep, a 35,994-foot deep depression in the south end of the Mariana Trench. It’s the deepest known spot in the oceans. No one has visited Challenger Deep since explorers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh made the journey in Trieste in 1960.
The X Prize Foundation is expected to announce a $10 million prize to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Trieste's dive. The winnings will go to the first privately funded sub to make two repeat manned descents to Challenger Deep.
