During an overcast and foggy day on November 17 four robots departed San Francisco on a voyage across the Pacific to ports in Japan and Australia. The crossing, a partnership between Liquid Robotics and technology companies like Google Earth, was designed to showcase new robotic ocean technology and foster scientific discoveries by collecting vast amounts of ocean data. All … [Read more...]
China to Dive for Buried Treasures; Submersible Is Set to Hunt for Valuable Minerals in Pacific
BEIJING—China plans an ultradeep dive by a manned submersible beneath the Pacific that would propel it past the U.S. in a race to explore potentially vast mineral resources in the deepest parts of the world's oceans. The Jiaolong—named after a mythical sea-dragon—left China on board an oceanographic research ship on July 1. It arrived on Saturday at its … [Read more...]
Ocean in Google Earth
Yesterday, Google unveiled its newest version of Google Earth at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Google Earth 5.0 introduces a number of new features, but most notably Ocean in Google Earth. Finally, you to explore what makes up two thirds of our planet - the ocean. Google tells us what you can do with ocean in Google Earth: Dive beneath the surface … [Read more...]
NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Ship – Okeanos Explorer
Okeanos Explorer, the first federal ship dedicated solely to ocean exploration, was commissioned on Saturday in Seattle, WA. A former U.S. Navy surveillance vessel, the ship was transferred to NOAA in 2004 and converted to perform ocean exploration. The Okeanos Explorer will use telepresence – satellite and high-speed Internet-based technology – to enable … [Read more...]