4. Alvin Returns
Ever since 1964, many of the most transformative deep sea scientific findings have been brought to you by Alvin, the lovable 6-foot titanium sphere that carried scientists miles beneath the surface of the ocean. Alvin found the Titanic in the North Atlantic, hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos, and an unexploded hydrogen bomb that plunged into the ocean after a midair accident near Spain. Perhaps the best story Alvin will tell its grandkids is the time a swordfish impaled its foam outer layer and was subsequently served on dinner plates that evening.
But 4+ decades of deep sea research takes its toll, and even though Alvin was enabling world-class science as recently as 2010, it was high time for an upgrade. Over the last 14 months, engineers and Alvin pilots have been hard at work in a warehouse in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. They’ve installed new buoyancy foam, better camera systems, and an entirely new titanium sphere with more room and larger windows.
Although the new diving depth of 6500 meters will only be possible after a second round of upgrades, the oceanographic community is eager to get its workhorse back, and requests for research time with the new and improved Alvin are pouring in.
Image: A cutaway diagram of Alvin. (NOAA)