Kaiko could stay down longer than Trieste because Kaiko was a robot. No human was inside. The scientists who controlled it floated safety in a research ship on the ocean surface. They monitored the dive through electronic equipment such as television cameras. Kaiko's trip to the ocean floor was like a moon landing. A larger "mother ship" went most of the way to the bottom and then released Kaiko. The mother ship stayed nearby, ready to take Kaiko bake after its exploration was finished.