IN DEEP, FAR OUT

Woodsys earlier post about the Ice Fountains of Enceladus and the seas which may exist on the moons of the gas giants got me thinking about the kind of submersibles that might be used to visit these hidden seas. Recently, I followed a blog about a prototype robotic probe which was being tested in the deep sinkholes or 'cenotes' in Venuzuela. The robotic device is a testbed for equipment which could be used on a probe which would venture into the seas of Europa.

The blog is very interesting - although the field tests are now over: http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/projects/depthx/ and shows the cool saucer like vehicle.

I love a good submarine and inspired by the DEPTHX, i decided to make a few minisubs of my own. The top pic shows a couple of rough scratchbuilt subs made of playmobil parts, scrap kits and gum capsule lids. Below are a pair of Matchbox Mega Rig Rescue subs and a pilot figure.
Next we have a slightly larger two man sub, made from a sweet premium toy.
Below is an american mail away minisub - possibly on offer from a cereal. Anyone any idea which one ? Its called a Sonar Sub and is battery powered and came with instruction sheet, which sadly reveals nothing about the maker.

Finally, a little scratchbuilt ROV (remote operated vehicle) - a litttle like Big Geek in the Abyss, a Kinder Egg Deep Diving suit and our friendly Matchbox pilot.