Working with Jim Cameron

Karen and I began our official duties today with our first participant. It didn't matter that we were working with a very advanced diver and a famous person, we only focused on illustrating the principles of living and working in alternative environments. Our activities were designed to illustrate to the participants what it's like to work in microgravity. The ocean can be used as a model because the buoyancy of the water simulates the floating feeling astronauts experience in microgravity. In addition, the diving gear can be related to the astronaut's space suits: both provide "life support" to the users but are somewhat cumbersome to work in.

We began by asking James Cameron to practice some physical tasks on the dock that he would then later do in the water. We gave him some plastic pieces called "Zoobs" and either written or visual descriptions of a model we wanted him to build. We then timed him completing the task. Because Jim is very familiar with working in water, he understood right away that he wouldn't be able to lay out all of the pieces and then choose from among them. In the water, the pieces would float away if they weren't contained. Jim kept the pieces in the mesh bag which has a zipper on one end. He also used his little finger and his palm to hold one set of pieces while he assembled another with his forefinger and thumb. I learned from him as we progressed. After filming both the Abyss and the Titanic, Jim Cameron knows a lot about accomplishing tasks in alternative environments.

Next we geared up and went into the water. We used the cement tiles surrounding the buoy line as a base of operation. Jim figured out that sinking to his knees on the tiles would give him more stability to work from. He grasped the mesh bag in his left hand, turned it upside down so that the floating pieces would be trapped in the bag and then began his assembly of the model inside the bag. He never had to worry about pieces floating off because they were always contained inside the bag. He accomplished his tasks very quickly. His times were a bit slower in water as expected, but overall, he was comfortable and able to work despite the buoyancy of the water and the equipment he had to wear.

We also gave Jim some orientation exercises, that is we asked him to point to a stationary object and then close his eyes, do a somersault, and then point to the object again. Many people feel disoriented by the buoyancy of the water and by the lack of audio or visual stimuli to tell them where they are. Jim wasn't one of them. He came within a few degrees of pointing to the object even after spinning with his eyes closed. We also asked him to estimate the distance of an object. He swam to what he determined to be three feet from the side of the Scott Carpenter Station. Because light is refracted differently and water magnifies, it is sometimes hard to give an accurate assessment of size or distance while under water. But Jim had no such difficulties. He was only off by 1 inch in his estimate.

It was eye-opening to work with Jim Cameron. His experience in the water made it possible for him to accomplish his tasks and to assess his environment accurately. Obviously, experience is a part of our ability to adapt to the world around us.