photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will showcase the 12-ton, 24-foot-tall submersible explorer and filmmaker James Cameron piloted on his 2012 record-breaking, solo dive to the deepest point on Earth.

“PRESSURE: James Cameron into the Abyss” will take visitors on a journey to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean through a multimedia experience of Cameron’s dive. The Deepsea Challenger submersible and science platform’s innovative technology sheds light on NHM’s vast and diverse marine biology collection and active marine science research programs. The 1,700-square-foot pop-up installation will be on public view from Dec. 12 to Feb. 20 and is free with general admission and for NHM Members.

“PRESSURE” celebrates the 10th anniversary of the 2012 Deepsea Challenge Expedition and Cameron’s solo journey to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on the planet. NHM’s display provides insights into the logistics – and challenges – that go into planning and executing an expedition of this size and scope. At nearly seven miles down, water pressure at Challenger Deep is about 1,000 times standard atmospheric pressure at sea level, and temperatures are just a few degrees above freezing. Previously, only two other people had been to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but Cameron was the first to reach it as a solo pilot. His was also the first crewed dive to film the seafloor and collect specimens at Challenger Deep.

“Pressure: James Cameron into the Abyss” is free with general admission and for museum members. For information or to buy tickets to the museum, visit nhm.org/pressure.