The scientist was going to live 100 days at the bottom of the ocean to help the astronauts: here is his story (7 photos + 2 videos)

Joseph Dituri, 55, a retired US Navy officer, has been 29 days old lives in a tiny capsule in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. On the other day, he gave journalists a video tour of his modest dwelling where he is going to spend a total of 100 days. And it's not some kind of tiktok challenge or protest action - all for the benefit of humanity.





As part of his unusual experiment, Dituri is studying how the human body will respond to prolonged exposure to extreme pressure in a small enclosed space for 100 days - similar conditions will be experienced by astronauts-heroes of the future during travel to Mars.

One of the instruments that Dituri tests on his mission, designed for NASA, and must be tested before it goes to the agency. This is a kind of tricorder from Star Trek, which scans the user's body to track their physical condition and determine if he needs medical attention.

Dituri is also studying how to prevent muscle loss. masses in space that astronauts suffer at the International space station (ISS).

"We are going to Mars, but the road there will take at best case, 200 days,” Dituri explained to DailyMail.com. [When you get there there] you will already have reduced muscle mass, you will have a limited visibility, you will not be in the best shape and you will decrease bone density and we're about to land you hard on a reusable apparatus that will crash to the ground with force. I suspect it's bad idea, and we'd like to clear up a couple of points first, but that's just my opinion".

Dituri, who began his mission on March 1 this year, contacted DailyMail.com journalists on the 24th day of their stay in the capsule on depth of 9 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. "All for me like; I have a coffee maker here, because, God knows, science does not works without coffee,” said Dituri, charged with positivity.



Although his underwater dwelling is quite small - about 9 square meters - there is a working area, a kitchen, a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small "pool", it is also an exit and an entrance, as well as a window overlooking the ocean. Or, more accurately, into the ocean?

The capsule is located in the underwater park Key Largo, Florida, USA, and is called the "underwater home of Jules".

“There is a TV, though I don’t know how to turn it on. More I have a mini-fridge, like in a hotel room, ”said Dituri in a video interview. He demonstrated a small microwave shelf is the only way to cook something.

“Every good hotel should have a pool, and in my hotel there is a tiny pool outside,” Dituri joked. - Through it we enter and we leave the house. So when I go swimming with all my scuba diving equipment, I go out through this hole, and then I dive. That's how people come and go." Dituri sleeps on a double bed beds with an additional small tier on top; same bed stands in the next room for scientists who look into his guests.



As of March 29, now is the 29th day of the 100-day mission, and when it is completed, Dituri will break the world record for the number of days spent underwater by non-military - the previous record was 73 days. Dituri will spend 10 more days under water than military personnel spend in submarines: military submarines can only support 90 day missions before returning to shore.

Even though he tests futuristic technologies, Dituri told DailyMail.com that another part of his mission is inspire children.

“I want to reach out to these children and talk to them about science and engineering; what can you be a scientist doing underwater cool stuff, rather than fiddling with beakers and microscopes in the classroom, ” he said and added that the children periodically dive to the capsule and give him five through the window.



However, first of all, Dituri wants to help the astronauts. survive the long and lonely journey to Mars. Device for the body scan he tests is much more than the one with with which astronauts will go to Mars. The device scans the body user, after which he enters the symptoms, which the computer then analyzes to determine illness or injury.

“Even a person without a medical education can manage this [device] and how to find out what is happening in