One reason that we explore space is to nd evidence of other life forms. The search for extraterrestrial life is
important, but robots can look beneath the dry rocks of Mars better than humans. The idea of landing on an alien world to greet alien life is fantasy. For the real thing, I suggest heading down in a deep-diving research submarine.
Satellites and unmanned space probes allow us to look at our planet with a global perspective and stare into the history of the universe. They’re absolutely vital for doing ocean research too, but they can’t look under the sea, the only place where we can search for clues to the origin of life itself. To do that, we need ships and submersibles, manned and robotic. The
cost of fuel-intensive marine expeditions is rising, but the results would bene t all our lives. Understanding the oceans will give us access to new sources of food, drugs and energy.
It’s now more than 50 years since explorers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh made their pioneering descent into the Challenger Deeps. After that, the focus of our imagination turned to the heavens, but perhaps it’s time to begin a new era of sea exploration. Manned exploration of space is science ction. The adventure of the deep sea is science fact.