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The hearing has been adjourned, and we'll be closing our coverage for now, but here is a recap of what we learnt today: 

• The scientific director for OceanGate, Dr Steven Ross, told the board about a platform issue the experimental submersible experienced in June 2023, just days before it imploded on its way to the Titanic wreck;
• The malfunction caused passengers onboard the submersible to "tumble about" and it took an hour to get them out of the water;
• Dr Ross also said he was "concerned" by a "loud bang" heard during a test dive;
• Renata Rojas, a mission specialist for OceanGate, said sometimes her job involved "just keeping the container clean". She said: "I joke around and say sometimes I was a cleaning lady";
• Ms Rojas told the coast guard the firm was staffed by competent people who wanted to "make dreams come true";
• She became emotional as she described the day of the fatal operation in 2023 and said: "I saw five people smiling and looking forward to their journey, excited. We were all excited";
• The mission specialist was asked if any OceanGate employees had brought up safety concerns. She mentioned one employee named "Tim" and said: "He wouldn't get in the sub"; 
• Ms Rojas was asked if she was aware of the "experimental nature of the Titan" and she said she was;
• She also said she was aware that a classification society had not certified the Titan. She said: "Similar to the Apollo programme, they tested by doing. Neil Armstrong didn't ask somebody is this vessel classed before he went to space."

Dr Steven Ross has now finished giving his testimony and the hearing has been adjourned until tomorrow.

Dr Steven Ross is asked if he had a discussion with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush - who died in the implosion - regarding Titan's hull and how long it would last.

He says: "Yes.

"I asked Stockton for my own curiosity and asked how many cycles the Titan would be good for before it needed refurbishment.

"He said 'indefinite'."

The scientist is also asked whether he thought his dive matched the definition of a "scientific operation".

"Anytime I go underwater in the deep sea and view anything - it has scientific value," he says.

Asked if he knows the US law's definition of a "scientific operation", he adds: "No."

The Titan submersible's scientific director tells the hearing that the sub "malfunctioned" just before the fatal Titanic dive. 

Dr Steven Ross says during one dive in June 2023 - just days before the implosion - that the platform malfunctioned.

The malfunction caused passengers onboard the submersible to "tumble about" and it took an hour to get them out of the water.

The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading during the malfunction, Dr Ross says.

He says: "One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap."

Asked if he was made aware that the Titan submersible that was being used for the 2021-2023 expeditions was not inspected by the US Coast Guard, Dr Steven Ross says: "Yes, I think so."

He is then asked: "Were you aware the Titan was not built to a classification standard?"

"I am not aware of those engineering details," he responds.

The line of questioning moves to dive 80 where a "loud bang" was heard upon surfacing (Dr Ross was onboard the vessel).

The scientist says he was aware of the loud bang and there was wide discussion around the sound by crew.

"I was told there was a theory about what it could have been," he says.

"I can't recall it in great detail but I was told there was likely a shifting of the pressure hull in its steel cradle. When it popped back into place it could have made that noise."

Asked if he witnessed OceanGate personnel doing a visual inspection of the hull interior after the dive, he says: "I did not witness it."

"I was concerned and asked the chief engineer if he was concerned," he adds.

"He said this noise was a concern and the OceanGate team was focused on trying to determine the source of the noise and that would influence if we made future dives."

Dr Steven Ross, who has been a marine scientist for over 45 years, says he first began working at OceanGate in 2018 when he was invited to be a part of the science programme.

He says: "I was brought in to help develop a scientific programme to broaden the outreach of OceanGate.

"My role was to try to develop a viable science programme using the Titan submarine."

He says from 2021 his role was to explore habitats in the deep sea.

Asked what the primary mission of OceanGate was between 2021-2023, he says: "To visit and view the Titanic shipwreck."

When asked what he would describe a mission specialist to be, he says: "A person who paid for a place on the ship to visit the Titanic and be involved in other parts of the operation if possible."

The hearing is back in session

We're now hearing from Dr Steven Ross, a former scientific director for OceanGate.

The hearing is now taking a lunch break and Renata Rojas has concluded her testimony.

It resume at 6pm.

Renata Rojas is now making a statement for the record.

She begins to cry and her voice trembles as she says: "What we have all gone through is still raw. Nothing is going to bring our friends back.

"I hope this investigation creates an understanding that with exploration there is risk.

"And without taking that risk and the exploration, the world would still be flat.

"I hope that innovation continues so we can make the oceans accessible to people like me who go out to fulfil our dreams.

"Expeditions are needed and the oceans are significantly underfunded. Private citizens are the ones funding the expeditions."

Now Renata Rojas is asked if she was aware of the "experimental nature of the Titan".

"Yes," she replies.

She is then asked: "Did you understand the Titan was not inspected by the US Coast Guard?"

"Yes," she says.

On her understanding of the experimental nature of the Titan, she explains: "I understood that it was untested. 

"New water, completely new and new materials. Never used in deep water vehicles."

Asked if she was "aware that a classification society had not certified the Titan", she again says: "Yes."

Classification means no external classification society had validated the submersible.

"Similar to the Apollo programme, they tested by doing. Neil Armstrong didn't ask somebody is this vessel classed before he went to space.

"He just got in and went. Exploration requires risks."

She goes on to say: "For me the Titan subs are like the Ferraris of business. They are beautiful.

"The seating in the submersible was different, it was comfortable."