Space, Oceans and Earth Exploration for the Benefit of Humankind
- Iris Fisher
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
“It is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all.” – Ernest Shackleton
Do you agree with this quote?
From the Antarctic and the Terrestrial North Pole to Mount Everest, from venturing deep inside oceans, to flying to or near the edge of space, humans continue to explore.
Of those who have done both, explored the depth of oceans via a submersible and have flown to space (or have climbed Mount Everest and flown to space), are very, very few, and globally – in fact, just a little over a handful of them (from each combination).
And throughout the history of human’s existence, although countless brave women and men took part in some sort of exploration, it is still a tiny fraction compared to the whole of humankind.
Why are some so adventurous and courageous and others are not?
What is in their DNA that’s different from the rest of us? It’s certainly not in my genes.
Somehow, however, I personally have met at least half of those who have been to the depth of oceans and to space! (And two who have done space, ocean and Everest!)
These adventurers are not extremists per say; they don’t seek out risky adventures for the sake of doing them.
In fact, they have a risk management assessment-like way of deciding on what to do; do they personally believe they can do it (or have trained for it), are they passionate about it or something relating to it (like love for the ocean, space inspired), will they learn from the experience in a way that will benefit them, is it an opportunity of a lifetime, or the timing is right to take this on…
Still, these humans are inspiring for their drive, determination, and spirit of adventure!
Here is where I want to share a personal story relating to this.
One of those adventurers I mentioned, being one in maybe 7 or 8 in the whole world to have done both, dive deep in the ocean with a submersible and flown to space, is my life partner.
But here’s the other thing: for both his dive down almost 4000 m (12,600 ft) in the Atlantic Ocean to the wreck of the Titanic with the Titan submersible (the last successful dive before the horrible implosion of 2023, to going to the edge of space with Virgin Galactic Unity spacecraft, he wore a [military] dog tag that once belonged to my father.
My father passed away when I was seven (he was 34).
In the time when he was alive, we had no smart phones, no electric cars. Although a “space race” happened between the Soviet Union and the United States, men walked on the Moon, and Space Shuttles existed, there was not a continuous presence of humans in space; the International Space Station did not yet exist, and the designing of it, merely just a thought then.
The space industry was not what it is today with regular rockets leaving the Earth (and now their boosters returning, and in a controlled way for reusability purposes), and submersible, although a little more common, were not for “tourists” types of dives.
The world has changed so much since my father was alive.
But if only my father could see this: something he once wore around his neck for military and combat purposes, now, decades later, was borrowed twice by his daughter’s partner, once to venture 3,800 m deep in an ocean, and then to 87+ km (54+ miles) up in space…!
Unimaginable then!
But it happened!
Why do we, as humans, continue to explore? (Even though we’ve now stepped on just about every part of the Earth – not yet in all our oceans.)
Because it’s in our genes and we learn by exploring.
Some of the data gathered when exploring or lessons from observing nature are not fully understood at once (science is a slow process), but with time, learning about other “worlds” will help our survival.
“Knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. Our very survival may hinge upon it.” – President John F. Kennedy, March 1961
And beyond Earth too…
NASA scientists claim that ocean worlds could be ubiquitous in the galaxy.
In our solar system alone, there is now evidence of oceans on Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus; Jupiter’s moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto; Neptune’s moon Triton; and on Pluto. (And billions of years ago, maybe on Venus and Mars too!)
Learning in extent about oceans could indeed benefit humanity.
Hearing about space, earth and ocean exploration always fascinates and inspires us, even to the not necessarily so adventurous.
And it often starts from a young age, by a child being exposed to something they heard about in school, saw on tv (or social media) or experienced (e.g.: attend a launch in person).
Here are three men who went to the same high school in Texas, St. Mark’s.
Robie Vaughn (right in photo) was launched into space in January 2024 with Virgin Galactic.
He says he’s the 679th person to go into space and the 2,189th person to summit Mount Everest.
18 years ago, is when he put a deposit for this spaceflight of a lifetime; 18 years is how long he waited to go to space!
His passion for space began much earlier in his life:
As a teenager, he got to go with his father to Cape Canaveral and see the launch of Apollo 11 carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men to land on the moon!
He says about that: “I thought it was like watching Columbus sail from Portugal to discover the new world”.
Two years later he got to see Apollo 15 get launched.
Space inspires!
Victor Vescovo (left in photo) achieved the “Explorers Grand Slam”. That is:
- he’s been to the North and South Poles
- he climbed the Seven Summits (yes, Everest is one of them)
- he visited the deepest points of all of Earth’s five oceans during the Five Deeps Expedition
And in June 2022, he was launched into space with New Shepard, Blue Origin’s suborbital rocket.
Alan Stern (center in photo) is the one who wore my father’s dog tag in the story I share above.
He has been to the wreck of the Titanic and to space with Virgin, and sometime in 2026 he is scheduled to fly to space again as a researcher with a NASA-sponsored spaceflight.
Alan has also been inspired by the Apollo era from a young age.
Imagine what the soon-to-come Artemis missions will do for the next generation!
My father has done some parachuting and has been a bit of an adventurer in his short life. I wonder how impressed he would be with today’s types of exploration, innovations built for these purposes, and what is being conceived today to shape humanity’s future.
This article was first shared on my Substack account:
Direct article link: Space, Oceans and Earth Exploration - Iris Fisher
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