Terry
May 31st, 2007, 07:58 AM
BREATHING air provided by algae watered with recycled urine, and pedalling a bike for electricity, an Australian aquanaut emerged today after 13 days living underwater in a "biosub".
Lloyd Godson entered the 2m by 3m yellow biosub capsule, submerged in a former quarry on wetlands near the southeastern town of Albury, on April 5.
His survival at a depth of 5m hinged on a coil of green algae which provided air in return for Mr Godson urinating on the plants each day.
"I will be glad to get out in the sunshine and fresh air again. I have even had thoughts of running like Forrest Gump, and just not stopping!" Mr Godson said before surfacing.
Godson, 29, a marine biologist, got funding for the project after winning a "Wildest Adventure" competition run by nature journal Australian Geographic.
A team of divers provided meals to the capsule through a manhole in its base, while some electricity came from the bike and some through a bank of onshore solar cells.
A single daily blast of fresh air was also provided from above, after trial and error with levels provided by the algae "biocoil", Ms Sarasiti said.
"It's never been done before using air from the plants," she said.
The experiment had been designed to prove whether an underwater environment could be self-sustaining.
Entertainment in the capsule came from a drum kit which Mr Godson could use at all hours without upsetting neighbours other than fish.
Lloyd Godson entered the 2m by 3m yellow biosub capsule, submerged in a former quarry on wetlands near the southeastern town of Albury, on April 5.
His survival at a depth of 5m hinged on a coil of green algae which provided air in return for Mr Godson urinating on the plants each day.
"I will be glad to get out in the sunshine and fresh air again. I have even had thoughts of running like Forrest Gump, and just not stopping!" Mr Godson said before surfacing.
Godson, 29, a marine biologist, got funding for the project after winning a "Wildest Adventure" competition run by nature journal Australian Geographic.
A team of divers provided meals to the capsule through a manhole in its base, while some electricity came from the bike and some through a bank of onshore solar cells.
A single daily blast of fresh air was also provided from above, after trial and error with levels provided by the algae "biocoil", Ms Sarasiti said.
"It's never been done before using air from the plants," she said.
The experiment had been designed to prove whether an underwater environment could be self-sustaining.
Entertainment in the capsule came from a drum kit which Mr Godson could use at all hours without upsetting neighbours other than fish.