Follow along as participants in the cruise provide updates and reflections on their experiences, the science, the technology, and other elements of the expedition.
July 28, 2015 | By Tamara Frank
I just read my colleague’s (Charles Messing) opening sentence in his log post, and I have one small addition: Working as a scientist on a deep-sea expedition offers numerous opportunities for both wonder and satisfaction and incredible frustration.
Read moreJuly 27, 2015 | By Tony Saecier
At times my job is hard work, like when installing all the parts of the remotely operated vehicle system onto the vessel so we can do a job. Other times my job can be easy, like when the ship is moving from one location to another and I can just hang out for a while.
Read moreJuly 26, 2015 | By Heather Bracken-Grissom, Ph.D
There is no other way to say it... Glowing things are cool. We all love the 4th of July because of the amazing reds, blues, and greens that light up the sky in a dazzling array of shapes and colors.
Read moreJuly 25, 2015 | By Charles Messing, Ph.D.
Working as a scientist on a deep-sea expedition offers numerous opportunities for both wonder and satisfaction.
Read moreJuly 24, 2015 | By Dr. Edie Widder
Medusa is back. We found it within a half hour of reaching the bottom. It looked fine but we quickly realized it had dropped its sacrificial weight but was still just sitting there – not a good sign.
Read moreJuly 23, 2015 | By Sönke Johnsen, Ph.D.
Some things in life are easy, like scarfing down a bag of chips. Some things start out hard and then become second nature, like driving a car. But some things are genuinely hard, all the time. Hitting a fastball, parenting a child, and – as it turns out – driving a submarine.
Read moreJuly 22, 2015 | By Dr. Edie Widder
Medusa didn’t return from its second deployment. We sent the acoustic signal to drop its 75-pound sacrificial weight and return to the surface at a little after 9 PM. From the depth that it is at, below 1,900 meters, it should take a couple of hours to reach the surface, but no such luck.
Read moreJuly 21, 2015 | By Brenna Hays
I am here on Research Vessel Pelican as part of the “preservation posse” with Dr. Messing. Our job, once the poking and prodding are completed, is the taxonomic identification and preservation of specimens collected on each dive.
Read moreJuly 20, 2015 | By Mackellar “Mackey” Violich
Today is the fifth day of our cruise and the Medusa is on her second drop. This is the first time for the Medusa to be in the Gulf of Mexico. The Medusa was the first camera to capture the live images of the Giant squid in the Pacific in 2012.
Read moreJuly 19, 2015 | By Eric Burdett
The well-seasoned members of the research expedition knew what to expect ahead of time; however, for some of the graduate students such as myself, this is our first experience living at sea.
Read moreJuly 18, 2015 | By Jorge L. Pérez-Moreno
As part of the Bracken-Grissom team, I am studying the vision of crustaceans in the deep sea. Specifically, we are interested in the visual pigments that enable crustaceans to detect light.
Read moreJuly 17, 2015 | By Katie Thomas
We are on the third day of our cruise and things are going well. Initially we saw many oil rigs and ships surrounding us, but now there is nothing but sapphire blue water in every direction.
Read moreJuly 16, 2015 | By Dr. Tamara Frank
We arrived at the R/V Pelican on a beautiful July day, and immediately got to work unpacking our crates and setting up our labs. Because of the amount of work involved setting up the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the ROV crew has been working steadily since yesterday.
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