Internet Roundtable

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:00PM . . . [2299 ]
It's a pleasure to be here.

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:01PM . . . [2299 ]
So, Dr. Ballard it seems to me that the common way that people look at scientists are kind of boring people who gaze through microscopes all day long and never get out of the lab. On the other hand, they think of explorers as free-spirit types who would never think if sitting behind a desk doing Science.

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:01PM . . . [2301 ]
How is it that you seem to be both? How did that come about?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:02PM . . . [2301 ]
Well first and foremost I'm an explorer and in today's society that requires you to be a little of both. And in fact, I like both. I'm stimulated by the scientific process, but I'm also stimulated by the results that it brings, which is the discovery.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:02PM . . . [2302 ]
So, I'm happy to be both.

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:03PM . . . [2303 ]
You would seem then to be something of a Renaissance man, with a wide set of interests and varied activities. How did you nuture that, how did you avoid getting pigeon-holed?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:03PM . . . [2304 ]
Well, when I went to school, I grew up in California and went to the University of California, and I decided to get a very broad-based education, instead of one that was narrowly defined. And they had a major in school that instead of taking four years, I had to take five, and I ha

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:04PM . . . [2305 ]
d to major in two physical sciences, which were Chemistry and Geology, and I had to minor in two, which were Math and Physics. And I must say, it was brutal, but I ended up with a very, very broad-based education, which has given me a tremendous amount of mobility, and I'm able to follow my interests and sort of "surf", sort of "channel surf" through science, and it's given me a great deal of freedom.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:05PM . . . [2306 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:05PM . . . [2308 ]
You're heavily involved with Science Education for kids, and I imagine that besides it being very important, you do it also because of how well your background has carried you. Can you tell us what you're working on now in that area?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:06PM . . . [2308 ]
I have two major interests right now. One is a program called "the JASON Project" and once a year we conduct an expedition somewhere in the world, in an exciting place and broadcast it live to students at selective satellite downlink sites. One of those is right in your neck of the woods, at NASA

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:07PM . . . [2309 ]
Ames in Palo Alto, California. We have 30 of these sites around the world and about 500,000 students and 12,000 teachers that are participating annually in our live broadcast. And that's a way of involving young people in what we're doing. In fact, students at the downlink sites can actually take control of our

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:08PM . . . [2310 ]
robots and operate them through Internet. That's my first program. My second program is working with organizations like National Geographic and NOVA to conduct expeditions. The deal with human history that is preserved in the deep sea. In fact, in just a couple of weeks I leave to go to the

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:08PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2311 ]
Tonight's guest is Dr. Robert Ballard, famous undersea explorer and scientist with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is the author with Malcolm McConnel of "Explorations: My Quest for Adventure and Discovery Under the Sea" You can ask Dr. Ballard a question by typing it in; our moderator will give it to him as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:09PM . . . [2313 ]
Mediterranean where I'll be using a miniature nuclear submarine to explore Titanic's sister, the Britannic, which was lost during World War I. I also will be exploring the ancient trade routes between Carthage and Rome. And those will result in television specials on both NOVA and National Geographic.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:09PM . . . [2312 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:10PM . . . [2313 ]
You've talked about remote control of these discovery systems and I imagine the main reason for doing so must be convenience and economics. Also though I know that you've had some scrapes when you've been deep-sea diving, and I wonder if you can tell us something about one of those?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:11PM . . . [2315 ]
Well, I have been diving in deep-diving submarines for 30 years, and I've conducted more than 100 deep-sea expeditions and so far, no one has died, but there has been several incidences where someone almost did. Including myself. And after awhile, it all adds up and you feel that you're pushing your luck and that it's just a matter of time when something terrible is

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:12PM . . . [2318 ]
going to happnen, and you don't want it to be you. So clearly, one of the reasons for moving away from physical diving to robotics is self-preservation. Also, as you get old, you're not as quick and physically fit. So fortunately, the information highway has come along just in the nick of time.knick of time.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:12PM . . . [2317 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:13PM . . . [2317 ]
Your new book reveals that the search for the Titanic was in some sense really a cover story for a secret mission. What was really going on?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:13PM . . . [2319 ]
Well, that's true. I was not able to tell the full story when I discovered the Titanic, because the Cold War was Hot, and I am a Commander and am still a Commander in the U.S. Navy. And a major reason why the Navy supported my efforts to build my advanced technology was because they wanted to use it for their

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:14PM . . . [2319 ]
purposes. And so, that was the understanding I had with the Navy, that they would provide me with the funds to develop the Argo and the Jason, and the search for the Titanic, if I would use the technology to help them better understand what happened to the two nuclear submarines, Thresher and Scorpion,

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:15PM . . . [2320 ]
that were lost during the Cold War. And one reason for writing my book was to tell my true story, now that the Cold War is over and my missions have been declassified by the Navy.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:15PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2321 ]
Tonight's guest is Dr. Robert Ballard, famous undersea explorer and scientist with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is the author with Malcolm McConnel of "Explorations: My Quest for Adventure and Discovery Under the Sea" You can ask Dr. Ballard a question by typing it in; our moderator will give it to him as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:16PM . . . [2323 ]
Let's do one more question, and then we'll get to audience questions. And it's this: You discovered amazing creatures living where no one thought it possible-at the bottom of the deep sea, where no sun light ever reaches. What are these creatures like, and of what significance are they to us?

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:16PM . . . [2322 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:16PM . . . [2323 ]
Well first, they are very exotic creatures, who are in many ways living dinasaurs. THey are very ancient creatures that have clearly been on the planet for a long period of time and are not closely related to any other creatures found in the deep sea.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:17PM . . . [2325 ]
What makes them important is that they have learned how to live off the energy of the earth instead of the energy of the sun. And they have learned how to duplicate the process of photosynthesis in the dark. It also appears that these animals may have been some of the first creatures on

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:18PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2325 ]
Dr. Ballard, are you familiar with Cydonia? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:19PM . . . [2328 ]
our planet, in fact life on earth may have begun in hydrothermal vents in the ocean. Also, it means that there is a higher probability of life on other planets than we though before we made this discovery.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:19PM . . . [2326 ]
Where is Cydonia? Sounds like Cyberspace.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:20PM . . . [2328 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:20PM . . . [2328 ]
Can you tell us more about what you think should be done in future research under the sea?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:21PM . . . [2329 ]
Well, in the first place, there are more people alive today than have died during the entire history of the human race. There are more people walking around right now on earth than have ever been buried in it. And what took 200,000 years to create will be doubled in less than 80 years.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:21PM . . . [2330 ]
The human race only lives on 27% of the earth's total surface area. So I'm convinced that humans will move out onto and into the oceans in the next generation. And that is why it's fundamentally important to the next generation that they master the sea.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:21PM . . . [2331 ]

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:22PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2332 ]
Besides children's on-line robots, are you planning on making live day to day on-line journals, so we can explore along with you? (question from the audience) (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:22PM . . . [2334 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:23PM . . . [2333 ]
We presently have JASON online on Internet and on Hol m[2~[2~me Page and students can follow our JASON expeditions which occur every year. And our other expeditions have yet to come on Internet, but I'm sure they will in the coming years.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:23PM . . . [2334 ]

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:23PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2335 ]
Dr. Ballard. It is an honor to speak with you. I am 50 yr old and have been a computer analyst all my life. I have a bs in math and an MS in opns research. I have been thinking of going back to school to get a PhD in physical oceanography. Am I too old ? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:24PM . . . [2338 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:24PM . . . [2336 ]
You're never too old to go back to school. In fact, I've never left it. And I'm 53. So I wish you God speed.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:24PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2337 ]
Dr. Ballard you have said that you have been diving for over 30 year's, could you tell us about one of your first explorations and what you found under the sea?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:25PM . . . [2339 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:25PM . . . [2338 ]
My first expedition was in the early 1960's, about 30 years ago. And it was in a submarine called "The Ben Franklin," and it was beneath the Gulf Stream, and what was wonderful about this deep-diving submarine was it could stay submerged for more than a week at a time, and it had

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:26PM . . . [2339 ]
bunks that were more than 6-1/2 feet long, and each bunk had its own window. And I can remember laying in that window on the bottom of the sea, and feeling like I was Captain Nemo on the Nautilus, and I'll never forget that dive.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:26PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2340 ]
What do you think happened to the Thresher and the Scorpion? What was the deepest dive you have taken without a robot or submarine? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:27PM . . . [2341 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:27PM . . . [2341 ]
Several questions. The Thresher had a failure in one of its external pipes and it' s silve/bronze weld failed, and sea water came into the submarine at high pressure and atomized, forming a fog, which shorted out their electrical panel that caused the nuclear reactor to scram, and before they could re-establish

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:29PM . . . [2344 ]
power, the submarine discended beyond crush depth and imploded. The Scorpion, we believe, accidentally launched a torpedo, which came back onto the submarine, hitting it, sinking the submarine. Most of my diving, the third question, recreational scuba diving doesn't take me very deep, to 100 feet or so.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:29PM . . . [2343 ]

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:29PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2345 ]
Dr. Ballard, Congratulations on the "Exploring the Lusitania" book. I was given a copy by Madison Press and it is certainly up to your usual standards. Have you heard anything new about the lawsuit betwween Beamis and the 1994 divers? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:30PM . . . [2347 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:30PM . . . [2345 ]
Before I answer, I'd love to know who you are. The lawsuit awarded Bemis ownership of the hull, but not its cargo. Since the divers removed artifacts attached to the hull, that were not cargo, they were required by the court to return those artifacts to Mr. Bemis.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:31PM . . . [2346 ]
It is also my understanding that Bemis is at the Lucitania tonight with a team of divers and is removing artifacts from the ship.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:31PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2347 ]
Dr Ballard- after your tremendous success finding _Bismarck_, are you ever going to go after the wreck of HMS _Hood_? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:31PM . . . [2349 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:32PM . . . [2349 ]
I'd like to do that, but I'm not sure anyone would sponsor it. Since telling the story of the Hood would be repeating the story of the Bismarck, and so I doubt a major television network like National Geographic would want to tell the story all over again.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:32PM . . . [2349 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:32PM . . . [2350 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:33PM . . . [2351 ]
Dr. Ballard, technology clearly has improved tremendously since you started doing your research and your explorations. What does the technology allow you to do today, for instance, where can you dive, what can you do when you're there, and so forth. And where do you see the

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:33PM . . . [2352 ]
technology going in the near future?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:34PM . . . [2354 ]
First and foremost, technology is amoral. It's a two-edged sword. It can do good, it can do evil. And it's up to society as to how the sword is used. We are now just beginning to discover the pyramids of the deep, and the question is still unanswered as to whether we

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:34PM . . . [2355 ]
will use that technology to appreciate the wonders of the deep sea, or to plunder them. And the jury is still out.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:34PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2355 ]
You have become a hero to many, do you find your explorations to be mytholgical? (question from the audience) (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:34PM . . . [2356 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:35PM . . . [2357 ]
I have always felt them to be mythological. I feel that they are a metaphore of life, that all of us are on an epic journey in pursuit of truths. And mine is simply more graphic and obvious than everyone else's. But it's the same.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:35PM . . . [2357 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:36PM . . . [2359 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:37PM . . . [2360 ]
Dr. Ballard, I have already been a researcher for Microbiological Studies, one of the RAMSAR sites of the Wetlands. I am also a trainer for volunteer water quality monitors in Texas under Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission. I haven't found any college-level projects to teach awareness about the ocean,

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:37PM . . . [2360 ]
especially in the east Texas Piney Woods. Are there any available?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:38PM . . . [2362 ]
Yes, there are. There are programs in places like the University of Rhode Island and other marine institutions where the awareness of the ocean's fragility is only now being recognized. I suspect you'll find a greater sensitivity to these issues in the near future.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:38PM . . . [2363 ]

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.comBallard it's an honor, could you explain the feeling you had when you first saw the Titanic? (question from the audience): . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:38PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2363 ]
Dr. Ballard it's an honor, could you explain the feeling you had when you first saw the Titanic? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:38PM . . . [2364 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:39PM . . . [2364 ]
I think that in a situation like that there is always two people inside of you. There's the professional and there's the human. The professional was very proud and excited to have accomplished this feat, but the human was very sad to be at the site where such a great disaster and such

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:40PM . . . [2365 ]
a great loss of life had occurred. So you were commonly psysophrenic and had a feeling of joy and sadness all at the same time.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:40PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2366 ]
What was/is your greatest discovery? And why?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:40PM . . . [2367 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:40PM . . . [2367 ]
What was/is your greatest discovery and why (question from the audience)?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:41PM . . . [2368 ]
Well, it wasn't the Titanic, because I didn't really discover the Titanic, I found it. My greatest discovery was the discovery of exotic creatures living around underwater hot springs, which I talked about a few minutes ago.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:41PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2369 ]
Does anyone "own" wrecks like the Titanic? Can researchers from other countries explore everything in international waters any time they want? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:41PM . . . [2370 ]

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:41PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2370 ]
Tonight's guest is Dr. Robert Ballard, famous undersea explorer and scientist with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is the author with Malcolm McConnel of "Explorations: My Quest for Adventure and Discovery Under the Sea" You can ask Dr. Ballard a question by typing it in; our moderator will give it to him as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:42PM . . . [2372 ]
If the wreck is a contemporary warship, the country of origin is its owner in proprituity. If it is a non-military ship, like the Titanic or the Lucitania, then it becomes foder for lawyers and it depends upon the legal claims made by third parties. And it becomes a legal nightmare.

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:42PM . . . [2371 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:42PM . . . [2372 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:42PM . . . [2373 ]
My advice is to explore and not take anything, will save you a lot of legal costs.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:42PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2374 ]
Who else is doing underwater exploration? (question from the audience)

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:43PM . . . [2375 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:43PM . . . [2375 ]
There are a large number of scientific colleagues that are exploring the deep sea. But few that I can name that are exploring the human history in the deep sea.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:43PM . . . [2376 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:44PM . . . [2378 ]
Do you feel any loss now that you will be doing a lot of your exploration remotely? Will you still be as excited, as I'm sure you must have been in the past?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:44PM . . . [2379 ]
Actually, it's more exciting with robots, because you have a better view, you have many more people to share it with, and you do a much better job. I must say, I was just thrilled exploring the Bismarck and the Lucitania as I was exploring the Titanic in a submarine. I must say,

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:45PM . . . [2379 ]
I was more frightened exploring in a submarine, though I don't know which you prefer. But I prefer not being frightened.

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:45PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2380 ]
What was your involvement in helping to verify the theory of plate tectonics? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:45PM . . . [2382 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:46PM . . . [2381 ]
Plate techtonics was initially proposed by geophysicists, but they needed geologists to actually go to the bottom of the ocean and verify their theory. And that verification took place during a three-year program in 1972, 73 and 74 called "Project Famous" which was

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:46PM . . . [2382 ]
the first manned exploration of the mid-ocean Ridge, which I was lucky to be one of the scientists who made those historic dives.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:47PM . . . [2384 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:48PM . . . [2385 ]
I spent a summer investigating Lochness and it's interesting as a scientist to deal with that myth. I believe the first sighting of Nessie was in the 1500's. So clearly, any monster seen today is not the same monster seen in 1500. So there must be a geneology of monsters, if you believe it. Biologists

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:49PM . . . [2385 ]
tell me, to have one monster, you must have at least 25 to support it s reproduction and guarantee its survival. If you calculate how much food 25 Lochness monsters, there isn't sufficient food in Lochness to feed them. More importantly their fathers, grandfathers and forefathers must have

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:50PM . . . [2387 ]
died and their bodies would be preserved on the bottom of Lochness, certainly their skeletons must be preserved in the fresh water of Lochness. And I dredged the links of Lochness and found nary a bone. So personally, I don't believe in it, nor do I believe that Champie exists in Lake Champlain.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:50PM . . . [2387 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:51PM . . . [2389 ]
The last question was not transmitted due to a technical problem. It was: "Dr. Ballard, as a 16-year-old listening to some very interesting facts tonight, I can't help but wonder about theories that have come about in the past few years about mytical creatures like the

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:51PM . . . [2389 ]
Lochness monster. And I believe that there is supposed to be one in Lake Champlain in Upstate New York. Do you have any theories of your own as to the origin of the creatures or myths?

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:51PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2390 ]
Dr. Ballard, as a 16 year old listining to some veary interesting facts tonight, I can't help but wonder about theries that have came out in the past few years about Mythical creatures like the "Lock Ness Monster" and I belive there is soposed to be one Champlane in upper state New York, Do you have any theries of your own as to the orgin of the creatures or Myths? (question from the audience)

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:52PM . . . [2391 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:52PM . . . [2391 ]
Dr. Ballard, apart from running a sub into the Crow's Nest, are you aware of any other specific damage to the Titanic by the RMS Titanic, Inc. expeditions? I've heard rumor of them cutting a hole in the hull for access to interior areas? (question from audience)

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:52PM . . . [2392 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:53PM . . . [2393 ]
I would find it hard to believe that they have the technology nor the desire to cut a hole into the ship, but I do know, based upon their own photography, that they destroyed the Crow's Nest, and I do know that despite their denial, they removed other fixtures

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:54PM . . . [2394 ]
from the ship proper, such as the running light on the forward mast. I have no idea how many artifacts they actually broke in their attempt to revoer artifacts, but I so disagree with what they do, I don't even like to talk about it.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:54PM . . . [2395 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:54PM . . . [2396 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:55PM . . . [2398 ]
Dr. Ballard, you apparently served as the model for Roy Scheider's character on TV's Seaquest DSV. What was your involvement, if any, on that show? (question from audience)

Roundtable Moderator@pantera.tsb.com: . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:55PM PDT (-0800 GMT). . . [2398 ]
Dr. Ballard, After the Britannic, what's next? Do you have any plans on exploring the Empress of Ireland in Canada? (question from the audience)

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:55PM . . . [2399 ]
I was asked by Stephen Spielman's entertainment company, Amblin, to help design the program and to sell it to NBC. I was technical consultant to SeaQuest for the first year, and did a short presentation at the end of each episode. I was also

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:56PM . . . [2399 ]
responsible for the design of the technology used on SeaQuest, but after the program began to drift away from scientific fact to fiction, I left the show and no longer have any involvement in it.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:56PM . . . [2401 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:57PM . . . [2401 ]
Dr. Ballard, I understand that you will be leaving Woods Hole and joining the Mystic Aquarium. What will you be doing there?

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:57PM . . . [2402 ]
Actually, I'm creating a new institute, called The Institute for Exploration, which will be on a parallel to Mystic Aquarium, under their parent organization, the Sea Research Foundation. I have two primary goals: One is to build a major exhibition center to

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:58PM . . . [2404 ]
present the deep-sea, both its natural and human history to the public in a way that has never been presented before; the second is to conduct a long-term investigation of the human history preserved in the deep-sea, which begins in 3 weeks when we begin exploring the ancient Roman trade

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:58PM . . . [2404 ]
routes between Carthage and Rome in the Mediterranean.

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 7:59PM . . . [2405 ]

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 8:00PM . . . [2407 ]
I'd like to thank Dr. Robert Ballard for joining us tonight for a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion about underwater research, and his activities and remind everybody that his recent book, "Explorations: My Quest for Adventure and Discovery Under the Sea" is available from Hyperion. Thank you very much, Dr. Ballard.

Michael Fremont : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 8:00PM . . . [2407 ]

Dr. Robert Ballard : . . . . Wed, Aug 2, 8:00PM . . . [2408 ]
Thank you, it was a pleasure.

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Gene Carl Feldman (gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov) (301) 286-9428
Todd Carlo Viola, JASON Foundation for Education (todd@jason.org)