It has all the makings of a blockbuster sci-fi movie: A laboratory 62 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, bustling with explorers and scientists who swim out the door to work and communicate with those on the surface using high-tech, audio-video calling.
But this October, Fabien Cousteau (grandson of famous oceanic explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau) and his team will do just that. They’ll pack up and move under the sea, where they’ll live and work – and Skype with surface-dwellers – for 31 days. During this record-breaking expedition, known as Mission 31, Cousteau will spend up to nine hours a day exploring the sea. The goal? To help the world think differently about the ocean.
“Taking all modern ocean exploration into consideration, we have merely discovered around 5 percent of our oceans. It is only by going deeper and staying longer to observe and study that we can push our knowledge further to understand the interdependent connections we have with our ocean planet,” Cousteau said. “It is with this in mind that science and exploration meet as the foundation for Mission 31.”
He and his team will saturate their bodies with three times the normal amount of nitrogen, and will live more than 10 fathoms under the sea so they can study the oceanic world without the limitations of normal divers, such as having to return to the surface.
Students across the world will be able to take part in this expedition through Skype in the classroom, where they can experience educational talks, collaborative lessons, and live experiences on a variety of topics from the world’s leading marine experts. Keep an eye on Social Good, Skype’s space for connecting with teachers and classrooms, for more details on how participate in Mission 31.
“My grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, would grab my hand and say to me ‘Allons Voir’ (lets go see),” Fabien Cousteau said. “It is this insatiable curiosity that has been my most treasured inheritance. Without the presence of mind and curiosity to ask the questions, there is little chance we can find the answers.”
Jennifer Warnick
Microsoft News Center Staff