A monitoring system for monitoring a parameter of a hostile environment is provided within the interior of a sealed chamber. The chamber has a wall and an access port extending through the wall to the chamber exterior. The monitoring system includes a flexible, generally tubular, elongated housing having a distal end, a proximal end and a interior. The housing is made of a non-porous, corrosive resistant material. The distal end of the housing includes a sealed window and a sensor, which may be a borescope or camera, for sensing a parameter or for capturing an image within the hostile environment. The proximal end of the housing is sealingly secured to the chamber wall at the port so that the interior of the housing is accessible through the port. The interior of the housing includes a transmission media for transmitting an output signal of the sensor from the distal end of the housing to the proximal end of the housing and through the port. A monitor located outside of the chamber and connected to the transmission media receives and displays a representation of the sensor signal.