The U.S. assault on the moon is "a glamorous effort that ranks currently with God and motherhood," cracks Astronaut Scott Carpenter, who recently turned aquanaut instead. As he sees it, the U.S. actually has far more to gain by exploring the ocean depths than by reaching for the stars.
So far, limited financial support has restricted manned undersea exploration to less than 5% of the ocean bottom. But many scientists fully back Carpenter's analysis—and a presidential imprimatur has apparently opened the gates to hydrospace for good.
Vice President Humphrey now heads a nine-man...
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