Deep Ocean to Deep Space

Still Diving August 27, 2015

The current issue of Popular Mechanics, September 2015 has great tribute to Bob Ballard. He has been one of my heros from back in the days that I worked for the Marine Systems Engineering Laboratory at UNH. At the time I was working for Dick Blidberg and Jim Jalbert. They gave me a great opportunity to get into computer hardware and software after a few years away from the tech world which had changed by leaps and bounds. And I got to have fun in and around boats. They were working on autonomous underwater vehicles, ADOM and EAVE. Actually ADOM was under ice but that is just water in solid form. This was at about the time Ballard became famous for finding the Titanic and as I recall he had visited our lab prior to the discovery. We were hoping to interest him in an autonomous tender vehicle for his Argo vehicle.

Finding the Titanic was just one triumph of the many he has had and he shows no interesting is stopping now. I like that. His JASON project is an educational initiative that reaches out to school children to give them more opportunities to learn about the world around us and under us. I am wondering about his emphasis on the individual though, becoming stars. He has become a star but I gather from what I read he gives his team credit for making it possible. Will look for more to read on him.

I am also wondering what an “avalanche” looks like on the ocean floor. He talks with excitement in finding them. But to me they are a event. So did he see avalanches happening, and they continue to happen? Or the aftermath of avalanches? Again need to read up more on that.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/a16715/bob-ballard-oceanographer-titanic/