Issue 12.12 - December 2004 Subscribe to WIRED magazine and
receive a FREE gift!  The New Atlantis   By Jennifer
HillnerPage 1 of 1   Welcome to Vent-Based Alpha: a permanent,
manned outpost 5,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface. The deep-
sea mining colony is the dream of Phil Nuytten, a renegade
explorer whose widely used inventions include hard diving suits
and submersibles that can descend thousands of feet while
maintaining a single atmosphere of pressure. He'd upgrade both
for use at the colony, where workers would mine "black smokers,"
chimneys that rise from volcanic vents or fissures in Earth's
crust and belch out 700-degree water containing gold and other
precious metals.  * Story Tools  * Story Images  Click
thumbnails for full-size image:  * Rants + raves  * Start  *
Play  * View    • Why nerds are so unpopular   • Hot Seat:
Google News' Krishna Bharat   • More »  Vent-Based Alpha would
be a completely self-sufficient facility - the structure's
interior would be kept at surface pressure, ensuring