Interviews: Ask Robert Ballard About Ocean Exploration 40
samzenpus writes A former Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, Robert Ballard is one of the most famous ocean explorers in the world. He is best known for his discoveries of hydrothermal vents, the Titanic, and the German battleship the Bismarck. Ballard is the "Explorer-in-Residence" for the National Geographic Society. He works extensively on exploration through telepresence capabilities and distance learning programs including the JASON Project, which reaches more than 1 million students. His latest work involves the Ocean Exploration Trust, the organization that manages his exploration ship the E/V Nautilus. The ship carries with it two ROVs named Hercules and Argus that explore the seafloor in real-time online. Dr. Ballard has just concluded the 2014 season and has agreed to answer your questions. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.
Re:The TRUTH! (Score:4, Interesting)
Interesting game, Professor Falken. It seems the only winning move is not to play.
Malaysia Airlines (MH) Flight #93 (Score:5, Interesting)
Black Sea (Score:1)
Mr. Ballard - Do you plan to explore the Black Sea for potential paleolithic settlements? What are your thoughts on the possibilities of such settlements, and what they would mean for human history? Thanks! - Cliff Berg
Autonomous robotic vehicles (Score:5, Interesting)
The only question that needs to be asked (Score:3, Funny)
When is Seaquest coming back?
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
USS Scorpion? (Score:5, Interesting)
First off, I have to thank you for finding the Titanic about two months after I did a junior high school report on the Titanic. That just about blew my mind and helped encourage a fascination with science and technology that continues to this day.
My question though is about the USS Scorpion. As one of very few people who has seen the remains of the USS Scorpion, is there anything you can share about what might have caused her to sink?
Colonizing the ocean (Score:4, Interesting)
Thank you from a longtime member of NGS. Your work has always been a positive counterbalance to some of the "what were they thinking?" projects the Society has funded.
In the 1950's and 1960's, considerable funding and human cost led to a realization of the dreams of science fiction writers who imagined people in outer space. Humankind has not yet achieved all of those dreams, but even far-flung ideas like teleportation are increasingly within our grasp as we learn more about the hidden universe that we are part of.
At the same time science fiction authors were writing about outer space, several of the same envisioned detailed human exploration and colonization of the oceans of inner space. Could you please comment on why you believe humankind has yet to make an equally bold move into the oceans? Thank you and Godspeed on your next adventure.
SOSUS (Score:4, Interesting)
Loved the show you hosted a number of years about about the development and implementation of the SOSUS system. Can you speculate or comment on the types of next generation technologies that could potentially fill in some of the gaps we now have with the reduction in traditional SOSUS effectiveness against quiet(er) ships from other nations? Presumably we still have to keep track of other countries missile and attack subs, is that much harder now than in the past?
Thanks!
The last unexplored region on earth; the ocean. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
If your going to use a the when referring to a ship you use it's designation, hence it would be the RMS Titanic. Otherwise it's just Titanic, or should I start calling you the Shakrai?
Re: (Score:1)
Then it should have been "the KMS Bismarck" not "the German battleship the Bismarck"; "The American battleship the Missouri" <--- Sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it?
Re: (Score:2)
It's no more redundant than the Titanic. Calling any ships "the" is a mark of ignorance.
Iron Bottom Sound; Kirishima (Score:3)
Dr. Ballard: You're probably better known for the discoveries of Titanic and Bismarck, but I've always been more fascinated by your expeditions in the Pacific, specifically Iron Bottom Sound. Would a follow up expedition with more modern technology be a worthwhile endeavor? I would most interested in seeing another exploration of Kirishima, since the circumstances of her battle damage and loss have recently come into dispute.
Electronic still camera (Score:3)
Are any of the Marine Imaging Systems deep submergence electronic still cameras (circa mid 1980s) still in operation? With or without the original Heurikon based topsides?
Please accept my appreciation for your enabling an important part of my career. My work with MIS and Marquest Group was a happy time of fond memory.
Challenger Deep (Score:2)
I heard that we're not sure whether the Challenger Deep is really the deepest spot in the ocean. Is that true? If it is, I'm surprised that we don't have sonar and satellite data to know fore sure. What's keeping us from getting the data?
I was also surprised that Challenger Deep is flat (not what I'd expect a trench to be like). Can you give us an idea of the scale of the place and what the topography is like?
Danger (Score:3)
I know that quite a bit of the exploration that you've done has been with ROV's, but you've also been down in the deep yourself in the Alvin submersible. Was there ever a time during one of your expeditions where you feared for your life?
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, and for helping to inspire my interest in science. I was a young when the Titanic and Bismarck were found, and I can still remember the excitement and wonder I felt during those two events.
Space (Score:2)
Best source(s) about your work on sunk submarines? (Score:3)
Your work on a certain luxury liner is very well documented. However, it's harder to find details about your work to locate and study the wrecks of U.S.S. Thresher and U.S.S. Scorpion.
How much of this is still classified? What good publicly available source(s) would you recommend to learn more about these missions?