QUESTION:

Bruce, how dangerous is it to dive with the Alvin to the bottom to the ocean?

Student Name:Kylie
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Kylie .. I think that danger is a relative term and something that we can pick apart and maybe have a little fun with. Driving to school on a snowy winter day is dangerous, but chances are you're used to it. I'm betting you or your folks have a good car with good brakes and decent all-terrain tires. Think about it, you're in a metal box of sorts, on wheels, moving at a good speed on the roadway that has limited friction because of frozen water that is layered in patches across it. It may even be dark and there are almost certainly more cars about. This isn't a natural place for an animal to be but because we are human, and have the capability to analyze things and plan ahead, it's something we are fairly good at. (Four wheel drive always helps) What's important is how we manage the risks, asses the danger and adapt to handle it. I'm betting that when it's snowy your driving speed is a bit slower. It's sort of the same way with Alvin. We know enough about pressure (hydrostatic water pressure at depth is very predictable) and knowing this we can design vehicles and structures to meet the needs of that particular environment. It's what engineers do, use basic science, the physics of sea water to plan for pressure, the chemistry of metals, like titanium, to provide corrosion resistance etc, to solve interesting problems. We aren't supposed to be down there at depth. It ain't natural. But because we can study and identify the nature of the environment that we want to visit, we can design machines that can take us there. So is it dangerous, absolutely, but it's also achievable as long as we consider what the risks and dangers are then factor those limits into our deign. With over 4400 dives I'd say that the folks that designed our hull (in the early 1970's) did a pretty decent job.

QUESTION:

Mark, how long did it take to design and build the submersible Alvin?

Student Name:Kaila V.
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Kaila, Our submarine is a work in progress that has been going on for over 40 years. The original construction took about three years in the early 1960s, however, almost everyday we will change or improve something here or there or figure out a better way to arrange the science basket. Several times a year we get updated components such as LED lights, better cameras, a more capable sonar, and even new cozy fireproof blankets to keep the scientist warm. We go back to Woods Hole, MA every five years or so for overhaul where we disassemble the sub down to every last nut and bolt and inspect, repair, upgrade and reassemble. This is also the time when we make major changes. Major changes include a titanium sphere in 1973 to replace the original steel one and a titanium frame to replace the original aluminum frame in 1978. In 1986 the large single propeller was replaced by the four thrusters we are using today. The next major upgrade will be installing a new titanium sphere which is being fabricated right now along with utilizing the latest technology in batteries. Thanks for the questions! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, is it boring during the travel to the seafloor and back up?

Student Name:Pat
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Pat ... I wouldn't say that any moment during a dive is ever boring. The descent is actually one of the more active times during a dive as we first have to assess the status of the submersible to make sure that everything is going well. You never know when something might happen that would require and immediate return to the surface. Once we've determined that everything is ok, say at about 200 meters, we then have to answer a few questions - where are we, where are we going and what are we doing. Solving the navigation problem, where we are and where we want to be, can be a bit interesting. We have specialized equipment to help us determine where we are relative to the area we are working in but the systems can often 'lie' and suggest that we are further away from our goal than we might actually be. Although we want to land near our intended bottom target, a specific vent site for example, but we don't want to get too close and risk 'bombing' a site with our descent weights. That would be bad. During ascent we're a little more relaxed. Normally we take the time to secure all the non essential systems, clean up the sphere and take a few internal pictures. We also send up the science report so that folks on the Atlantis know what to expect in the basket. So you can see that there really isn't any 'down time' during a dive. It's pretty much non stop and rarely if ever boring.

QUESTION:

Mark, have you ever discovered anything new down there in the Alvin?

Student Name:Grace R.
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Grace, The answer is yes! Or at least I hope so. The reason I say that is because during every dive we collect a large amount of samples as well as data, video and photographs which sometimes take years to process. Often times discoveries are made in the lab long after the dive. On every dive there is something I haven't seen before, or an organism or animal that is just a little different. A great deal of the things we collect are microscopic so we don't really get to see them until we are back on the ship. This cruise is especially exciting because for the first time in Alvin history we have a environmental scanning electron microscope on board the Atlantis where we can actually see samples immediately after the dive which normally wouldn't survive the trip back to a land based laboratory. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, how long can the Alvin stay under water until it runs out of gas?

Student Name:Teddy
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Teddy ... well, Alvin doesn't run on liquid fuel, like gasoline, to make us move about. We rely on battery power as our primary source of energy. On a normal dive we can stay submerged for about 9 hours before our batteries are at their limit and we have to come up. However there is a gas that we use in the submersible during dives. Oxygen ... it's what you and I breath although you get yours free, it's all around you in the air. We, however, have to take ours with us. Inside the sub we have three bottles (steel pressure tanks) that contain enough pure oxygen for three people for three days time. It's what we breath during the day. So even though our batteries might run low, we could stay down on the bottom for a total of three days if we had to. Luckily we haven't had to stay on the bottom longer than our normal dive time.

QUESTION:

Mark, what is the most interesting bacteria that you've found on a dive?

Student Name:Spencer W.
State:CT Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Spencer, That is a tough question for me because I'm a mechanical engineer, not a scientist. As pilots it our job to know the submarine inside and out in order to safely and efficiently take the scientists to the sea floor and collect exactly what they ask for. I do have favorites though! The area where we will be diving starting Sunday in the Sea of Cortez has large multicolored bacterial mats which we sample with plastic push cores. The mats are on the surface of very soft soupy sediment and sometimes below the surface the sediment can be so hot that it melts the plastic core. It is a really fun and challenging trying to collect the slimey mat before the core melts and then get it back into a quiver on the science basket before the cored sample slips out the bottom. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, when you go out diving deep down in the ocean, does the pressure hurt or does it just feel like being in a swimming pool?

Student Name:Lucas
State:OH Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Lucas ... this is a common question but maybe you'll find the answer surprising. We don't feel any different than you do sitting in your seat in class. Even though the pressure outside of the sphere is great (picture an elephant sitting on every square inch of the sub's exterior - that's a lot of elephants) we stay at the same pressure that we started with on the surface of the ocean, about 1 atmosphere. Alvin's hull, and any submarine's hull, has a primary purpose, to protect the people inside from the harsh environment and high pressure that is just outside. A past pilot said that the hull 'keeps the Big-O out of the People Sphere' and luckily it works well.

QUESTION:

Mark, how deep do you go in the Alvin to look for creatures?

Student Name:Eric M.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Eric, Our submarine is rated for 4,500 meters which is 14,764 feet. The deepest dives I have done were off of California at 4,119 meters deep looking for triangular deep sea echinoderms. They were so slow that they only move a few inches a day. We were also helping engineers from MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) test a deep water AUV that moves on the bottom on treads like a bulldozer. On my last dive in that area it took three hours to reach the surface. Oh, by the way, I grew up not too far from you in Iowa. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, where do you go to the bathroom when you are under water in the ocean?

Student Name:Olivia E.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, have there been any new and exciting discoveries on this expedition so far?

Student Name:Julia C.
State:NJ Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Julia, That is exactly the same question I ask of the scientist everyday after the dive. Usually after a dive the Alvin Group is busy performing the post dive checks, charging the oxygen system, and getting the sub ready for the next dive. After all that is done we like to visit the labs and scientists that are processing the samples we have collected. This is often the time when we get to see the new discoveries. This cruise is special because we have an environmental scanning electron microscope on board and we are looking at things never seen before. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, thank you very much for the phone conference. My school enjoyed it very much. I still have one question: About how wide are hydrothermal vents? Thank you again.

Student Name:Sofia
State:DE Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Sofia ... hydrothermal vents come in all shapes and sizes. At the 9 north site, where we just departed, vents are tall and thin, normally about 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide at the base. They tend to grow tall, skinny 'chimneys' that end where the hot water erupts out. Some vent sites can be huge, like those along the Juan De Fuca ridge site off the coast of British Columbia. There are vents there that are enormous including one named 'Dante' that is as large as a warehouse in area and over 4 stories tall. It's amazing to visit as the whole structure is belting out super heated water and covered with animals. There is another vent site in the same area, in a place we call 'High Rise', named 'Godzilla'. I've been there a few times and it is well over 8 stories tall and most likely 30 feet in diameter at the bottom. It's enormous and has large flange structures growing off the side that are big enough to park the sub underneath ... not a good thing as the water under the flanges is well over 300 degrees C and not a safe place to put the submersible.

QUESTION:

Mark, is there any aspect of your whole research experience that was unexpected?

Student Name:Akula
State:CA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Akula, I would have to say that almost every aspect of research on board was unexpected. When I accepted my position on board I really didn't know what I was getting into except for working underwater with the submarine. What I didn't expect was how much we become an integral part of the research effort. Not only do we pilot the sub to the bottom but we get to assist the scientist in figuring out better ways to obtain samples. Also, being on board is like attending a research university with non stop science complete with lectures and seminars. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

I just want to say thank you for the chance to learn more about the hydrothermal vents! Also, I like the things about the RV Atlantis! I have learned a lot of things because of you and the web site. Me and my fellow classmates would like to say thank you!!!! :-)

Student Name:Nakia
State:VA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Nakia, Thanks for the letter. Sorry about getting back late but we got pretty busy finishing up the Extreme 2008 cruise and now we are getting ready to sail again on our last cruise of the year. As you probably already know, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst (whoi.edu) also has a great web site with lots of information about all of our ships and underwater vehicles. Thanks, Mark Spear...

QUESTION:

Bruce, what are vent crab's and what do they eat?

Student Name:Briana R.
State:MD Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, how do you feel when discoveries are made on the research cruises? I like making little or big discoveries because it makes me feel apart of something and tells me that there's "so much" more out there, just waiting for someone to stumble across it!

Student Name:Stephen
State:VA Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Bruce, do you ever wonder what is happening back on land or do you just focus on getting what needs to be done done?

Student Name:Raeley V.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, how is life at sea?

Student Name:Chris Martinez
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Chris, That depends on when you ask me. If it is when I've just returned from shore leave the answer is Great! I love the ship, I love the food, I love being at sea, watching the spectacular sunsets and sunrises, the rocking of the ship, the birds and sealions and dolphins and on and on. However, if you ask me after I've been on board for four months straight you had better be prepared to run. The one thing I never get tired of is piloting the submarine. As long as I can get in the sub every few days even the longest cruises are good. One of the very best parts of my job (besides getting to be the deepest person in the world for a few hours) is the long breaks. It is common to get two and three month breaks where we can do some serious traveling. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, how can the Alvin withstand pressure in the deep ocean?

Student Name:Russell P.
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, what do you do for food when you are on Alvin?

Student Name:Claudia
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Claudia, Our ships steward and cook make up three lunches every dive morning for the sub. The menu includes a PB&J sandwich, a mystery meat sandwich, some fresh fruit, and a candy bar. The food on board Atlantis is incredible and the sub food is close behind. When I'm pilot it is common to be so busy during the dive that I don't get a chance to eat. What I'll do on the way to the bottom is stage the PB&J under the navigation screen next to my right shoulder and the candy bar next to the pilot's video monitor just under the viewport so I can grab a quick bite now and then while I'm working. I also take a sports bottle of cranberry juice with me to sip on during the dive. If we are lucky, the scientist will bring chocolate. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, is it a good job to work in the marine environment?

Student Name:Seasan J.
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, is it fun working with the oceanographers on the cruise?

Student Name:Cadee C.
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Yes! It is a blast! The oceanographers that come on the R/V Atlantis are the very best scientists in their field in the world. They are so excited and dedicated and enthusiastic about what they are doing that it rubs off on everyone on board. Just a warning, be prepared if you ask a question of these workaholics be become instantly enrolled in a one on one graduate course in something way, way over your head. The scientist that sail with us love to teach and explain and show. As a pilot I get to spend a few hours with the scientist during the commute to the bottom and back to the surface where I find out that under their lab coats they can be pretty normal people. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, I am really happy that I am able to see all of you going in the Alvin. Have you ever had any type of problems while you were down in the Alvin.

Student Name:Mary B.
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Bekki when did you decided you wanted to be a scientist and why? I want to be a scientist like you. Im sure it is very fun.

Student Name:Karen Alcantara
State:CA Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, do your ears hurt when you're going down in the Alvin?

Student Name:Gaby
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Gaby, Nope. The three people in the sub, the two scientists and the pilot are inside a titanium sphere that is 78 inches in diameter. Once the pilot shuts the hatch on the top of the sphere, the pressure inside stays the same. On this cruise our dives to the bottom at The East Pacific Rise were around 2,500 meters deep. The pressure at that depth is about 3,750 psi but inside we are at a comfortable atmospheric pressure of 14.7 psi. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, has the Alvin ever let in water before?

Student Name:Russell P.
State:TX Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, how does it feel to be a part of an investigation that is so big and important?

Student Name:David L.
State:DE Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi David, Sorry about getting back to you late but we have been busy getting ready for our next science cruise. So how does it feel to be involved with this cruise? For the most part I just concentrate on being prepared and performing each dive as well as possible and then at the end of the cruise when all of the science objectives have been met I allow myself to relax and enjoy the fact that the scientist are happy with our work. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, what would you say the absolute most best thing is about your job and why?

Student Name:Cheyenne
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, have any pompeii worms been collected so far in this trip?

Student Name:Eric M.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Eric, Sorry about getting back to you late but we have been busy getting ready for our next science cruise. Yes, During the East Pacific Rise portion of the cruise we would see Alvinella on every dive. I sampled Alvinella on two of my dives, one at P Vent where I used the manipulator to collect the tubes with worms inside and the second was at V vent where I use a hydraulic slurp hose to collect just the worms and not the tubes they live in. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, what tool is used the most on the Alvin?

Student Name:Naomi B.
State:MD Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, can people eat vent crabs?

Student Name:Jamal A.
State:MD Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Jamal, Sorry about getting back to you late but we have been busy getting ready for our next science cruise. As far as eating anything from the vent fields I think the answer is no. Everything smells like rotten eggs and I assume that is the way they would taste too. By the way, when we are searching for vent sites, the first thing we see are crabs so that tells us that we are getting close. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, where did you go to learn how to pilot a sub, was it hard training?

Student Name:Dennis -Mr Cool-
State:WI Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, you guys are awesome. If a new animal is discovered who gets to name it?

Student Name:Alexus C.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Alexus, Sorry about getting back to you late but we have been busy getting ready for our next science cruise. When we discover new animals it is the scientists that get to decide what to name them. Every once in a while they will name them after the pilot that found it but not very often. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, when you are driving the Alvin how do you know where to go?

Student Name:Jake G.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, what's up! What is it like living on The Atlantis?

Student Name:Cody W.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hi Cody, The members of the Alvin group normally spend eight months a year on the Atlantis. That means that it is our main home. The pilots have a room of their own and the PITs (Pilots in Training) are in two man rooms. The food is incredible and the ship's crew are great. Normal science cruises are between two and four weeks so we get to come into port fairly often. Our port stops have included Mexico, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Costa Rica, Easter Island, Tahiti, Bermuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Key West, Galveston.... and on and on. One of the great things about this job is the long vacations the other four months of the year. Of course the best part of the job is flying the submarine and working with the different science groups. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, do you have to eat a special type of food while you're at sea like the astronauts have to eat freeze dried food when they're in space?

Student Name:Kendall
State:CA Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, how long does the average dive take? Can you bring your cellular devices onboard the Alvin?

Student Name:Justine G.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Justine, Our dives are very consistent. That is one of the reasons we have such a good safety record. We try to get the sub in the water right at 08:00 and be underwater by 08:05. We also try to make it back to the surface at or before 17:00 (5:00 pm). The pilot is responsible for calculating the amount of time it will take him for the ascent considering the depth, payload, basket configuration and then leave the bottom with a little fudge factor to make it home for supper. As far as cellular devices the answer is no. The only way to communicate underwater is through our underwater radio, the UQC. Also all electronics have to go through special testing back at Woods Hole to be proven safe for use inside the sphere and then labeled as such. It is a long process so we only take what we need inside. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, is it hard to drive the Alvin on the ocean floor?

Student Name:Derek L.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, what is it like being the pilot of Alvin? What is Alvin fueled by?

Student Name:Saxton
State:WI Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Saxton, Flying the Alvin is incredible. Imagine flying through a canyon 20 meters deep that is all black volcanic glass sometimes with just a couple meters of clearance on either side. Your passengers have their faces glued to their viewports and they are calling out all the cool stuff they are seeing, fish and octopus and crabs and a lot of "WHAT WAS THAT!?" You are watching the bottom through your landing video camera as you barely clear a tall skinny lava pillar that stands 10 meters tall, you are watching the navigation screen out of the corner of your eye trying to get to the next sample area as quickly as possible, every few seconds or so you glance back at the computer monitor that shows your forward looking sonar display just in case you need to thrust up to avoid an obstacle beyond your field of view. You need to thrust up over an area where the walls of the canyon have collapsed and on the other side you drop down into a deep bowl that is filled with hundreds of snow white crabs and the water becomes very smokey looking. You slow down the sub, bring up extra lights, triple check your grounds, oxygen, CO2, pressures, cameras, recorders and a dozen more systems. Out of the smoke you come across a giant towering vent that is belching jet black smoke, you add a touch of ballast water so your perfectly neutral and ever so gently drive ahead until the science basket just touches the structure. Now you lock in your auto-heading and dial in just a little forward thrust and your parked on the side of a mountain spewing out 390C water. One last quick check of your systems, maybe sneak a bite out of your PB&J sandwich, and you fire up the hydraulics and energize the titanium manipulators that have just become an seamless extension of your own arms. The next hour becomes a blur of probing, measuring, collecting, photographing, and sampling as the scientist call out directions, requests, and observations while they are running science equipment outside the sub from the notebook computer on their lap. Yeah, it's pretty cool. The Alvin power supply is amazing simple. We use electric fork lift batteries. Two sets of sixty that are connected together to give us 120 volts DC. They last about eight hours before needing to be recharged. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, when the crew has free time what games do they play?

Student Name:Alex H.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, how many times have you been down in the alivin? Of those times, which one was your favorite trip?

Student Name:Jenaay S.
State:MO Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Jenaay, I've made 101 dives so far. I would have to say that every dive is special in some way but I do have my favorites. Diving on the East Pacific Rise shortly after the 2006 eruption was spectacular because all of the fresh basalt was super shiny. My first cruise as a pilot was another favorite in The Gulf of Mexico where there were brine lakes that we could fly over and land on. I think maybe my favorite is Faulty Towers at Juan de Fuca with incredibly tall and skinny vents loaded with biology and a couple huge belching black smokers. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Strickrott, do you believe any of your findings on the Alvin will help solve the mystery of global warming, and possibly give insight to the future?

Student Name:Julia C.
State:NJ Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, I'm just wondering like how many hours do you guys have to work each day? And what made you have interest in doing this type of work? Also I have one more question where did you guys travel since you all have been on the ship Alvin?

Student Name:Samone R.
State:VA Country: USA

ANSWER:

 Hello Samone, Sorry about getting back to you late but we have been busy getting ready for our next science cruise. On a normal dive day I start doing the pre-dive in the submarine around 5:30 am. We try to be in the water by 8:00 and then back on the surface by 5:00 pm. Once the sub is back on deck we eat supper, complete the post-dive checks, fix anything that is broken, prepare for the next day's dive and attend a pre-dive meeting for the next divee and then usually done by 8:00 pm. So 14 hours on dive days are pretty normal. When I am not piloting I work in the morning for launch and afternoon for recovery and normally have a four hour break during the day. When we are not diving during transit or weather days we try to just work 8 hour days.

QUESTION:

Bruce, what strange creatures have you seen? Also, what is the lowest dive you have ever done? And does the temperature change the lower you go? And if it does, how much?

Student Name:Erna K.
State:NEW ZEALAND Country: NZ

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, is it scary diving deep, not knowing what you'll meet? What would you do if something was wrong with ALVIN and you're in it, deep in the ocean to deep to swim back up?

Student Name:Emily H.
State:NEW ZEALAND Country: NZ

ANSWER:

 Hello Emily, Sorry about getting back to you late but we have been busy getting ready for our next science cruise. So, for your question, no, it is not scary at all. It is very exciting because we find new things on every dive. The Alvin submarine is positively buoyant, that is it normally floats. We add steel weights on ths sub in the morning and that makes it heavy enough to sink. When we are ready to come back to the surface we just drop our weights and float up. If something was wrong with the sub that we could not fix on the bottom we would simply drop the weights and come back. No problem. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, what can every day people do to help the fish and other aquatic animal's thrive?

Student Name:Quaid W.
State:CA Country: USA

ANSWER:

QUESTION:

Mark, how do the fish in the twilight zone survive with all of the pressure?

Student Name:Henry K.
State:Choose a State Country: United Kingdom

ANSWER:

 Hello Henry, I'm afraid that is a question for our scientists. My answer is that they have evolved over time to withstand the conditions on the bottom of the ocean. The only type of fish that we see on the bottom have adapted to the extreme pressure and for the most part they are not very pretty. One exception is the Zoarcid fish which live among the tube worm and they are nice looking fish. Thanks for the question! Mark...

QUESTION:

Bruce, how much time has been put into the preparation of the Extreme 2008 project and what is the total projected cost of the project?

Student Name:Laura J.
State:Choose a State Country: United Kingdom

ANSWER: