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Trieste bathyscape being hoisted out of the water circa 1958-9. This deep-sea submersible, launched in 1953, was used to descend to the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans. This is a point known as Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean. The record depth is around 10,900 metres below sea level and was reached on 23 January 1960. The Trieste, about 18 metres long, was designed by the Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard. It consisted of a spherical pressure capsule, for a crew of two, below large float chambers. The Trieste was retired in 1964, though its original pressure sphere was reused in its successor, the Trieste II. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/US NAVY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)