Better known as the submarine designed by filmmaker James Cameron, the 12ton, 24-ft.-long (7.3 m) Deepsea Challenger reached the oceans’ deepest point—about 7 miles (11 km) below the surface—in the western Pacific in March. Built to withstand 1,000 atmospheres of pressure (or three SUVs sitting on your toe), the sub is equipped with digital 3-D cameras and structured with a vertical axis meant to accelerate its descent.