High-Tech Tourism
Diving below the North Pole
Estimated cost: $95,000
Travelers will soon be able to visit the "real" North Pole by diving
down 14,000 feet to the bottom of the top of the world. A chartered
nuclear-powered icebreaker will shuttle passengers to the pole, then
one of two MIR submersibles will take passengers to the Arctic Ocean
floor. Passengers will be able to peer through seven-inch-thick
acrylic portholes at deep-sea scenery illuminated by the MIR's
exterior lights. The expedition to the pole is a one-time event, and
the MIR dives will take place in summer 2008.