EXTREME DEEP: Mission to the Abyss depicts the mysteries of the ocean's
greatest depths. Newly discovered life forms, thermal vents, close-up views
of deep-sea research submersibles as well as shipwrecks including Titanic, are
among the attractions in this deep-sea adventure. Museum visitors will observe
firsthand the technology that only recently has allowed men and women to travel
to the ocean floor.
EXTREME DEEP offers opportunities for hands-on exploration of life at
the bottom of the sea. Presented by Evergreen Exhibitions in collaboration with
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, EXTREME DEEP is an interactive
exhibit that highlights the adventure of deep-sea exploration and discovery.
EXTREME DEEP puts the technology necessary for deep-sea exploration in
the hands of museum guests. From the Command Center, visitors can simulate the
launching protocol of the submersible Alvin to begin another exciting
trip to the abyss. Visitors join fellow explorers in a replica of Alvin 's
personnel sphere, which they can operate to simulate a dive to depths of up
to three miles. They can fly a remotely operated vehicle over a model of the
Titanic 's deck. They can also test their skill at manipulating Alvin's
robotic arm by picking up lava rocks and clams from the sea floor while peering
through a recreation of Alvin's four-inch viewport window.
EXTREME DEEP, designed for ages 6 and older, introduces biology, chemistry,
geology, history, exploration and the critical role that technology plays in
understanding our world and its future.
INTERACTIVES
- Research Vessel: The journey begins when visitors step
aboard this ship-themed area into a model of a control van on the deck of
a ship.
- Launch Alvin Interactive: Visitors
can simulate the checklist the expedition commander must run through before
each dive. After you push buttons and turn switches, this command center video
illustrates stages of launching the 17-ton submersible for another trip to
the abyss.
- ROV (remotely operated vehicle) Shipboard Control Van:
Video images offer remarkable detail of the sea floor and appear as though
they were actually coming in live from an ROV. Visitors get to choose which
site to explore or which ROV to pilot by pushing buttons on multiple screens.
- Under Pressure Interactive: A view of objects subjected
to the tremendous water pressure at the bottom of the sea helps visitors understand
the dangers and implications of deep-sea dives. Place your arm in a pressure
cuff for a physical sense of increasing pressure.
- Alvin Personnel Sphere Interactive: Visitors enter
a full-size recreation of the Alvin sphere to prepare for a dive.
Complete a checklist of tasks to prepare the submersible to "dive."
Video footage from actual dives appears in the three viewports.
- Robot Arm Interactive: Watch through a 4-inch viewport
window--just like Alvin's window--and attempt to operate Alvin's
robotic arm. Others may watch the motions of the scaled-down robotic arm from
the sides, then try to perform the same task watching only the video monitor.
- Alvin Arm Artifact: Touch and manipulate the claw
of a real Alvin arm. This is the essential tool on Alvin
used by scientists to collect biologic and geologic specimens for examination
from the ocean floor.
- Types of Vehicles: Visitors build a high-tech submersible
using colorful puzzle pieces. Visitors can build one of WHOI's remarkable
underwater explorers, let the pieces fall and try again.
- Pilot A Sub: Children climb into and on this toy mini-sub
one at a time and play with a periscope. An accompanying mural depicting the
vehicles in the exhibit evoke an undersea experience.
- Build A Sub: Kids of all ages can flex their engineering
muscles building this 3-D Alvin. Using the lightweight, interconnecting
pieces the complexity of this remarkable submersible is made clear. The arms
go in front, the personnel sphere goes in the center.
- Water Column Interactive: Highlight descriptions of sea
life at different depths on a descent to the abyss.
- Garden 9 North: This life-size environment depicts what
scientists never expected they would find-- life at the bottom of the ocean
where the sun never shines. You can be Alvin's pilot and manipulate
its cameras to zoom in on some of the more than 500 new species discovered
in recent years.
- Encounter with a Giant: Juan de Fuca Ridge: Scientists
see only what Alvin's lights illuminate. View Alvin in scale
with the ocean depth for a sense of just how tiny the sub is. Turn on the
light; is that a giant?
- High Definition Video: Through the use of state-of-the-art,
high definition technology, you will experience 9oNorth and the
amazing and bizarre creatures that live at such depths.
- High Resolution Video: View astonishing video of three
different vent sites, (1) 9°North off the coast of Mexico, (2) Juan de
Fuca Ridge off the coast of Washington state, and (3) the Mid Atlantic Ridge,
smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
- Biological/Geological Specimens: Five-foot worms, see-through
crabs, and other fragile-yet-tough creatures thrive more than 3 miles below
the ocean's surface. Visitors examine deep-sea life--biologic and geologic
specimens--through a magnifying lens.
- ROV Pilot: Explore the wreck of the Titanic
as the ROV pilot. Manipulate this ROV and work with another guest to spot
and identify surface details on the deck of the sunken vessel.
- Shipwreck Footage: Explore three actual shipwrecks via
video footage, including the Derbyshire, a Roman vessel and the century's
most famous ship, Titanic.
- Where in the World?: Explore the seas of the world with
a high-tech viewer and select areas to learn more about. You target the areas
of greatest interest to you. The viewers will provide you with specific information
on what lies within reach at various ocean sites.
- The Spinning Planet: The earth’s oceans, which make up
70% of its surface, make life possible. Choose from three spectacular views
of our world--360° around of pure daylight showcasing the Earth's glorious
colors, or two 180° journeys, one taking you from day to night and the
other which peels away the water uncovering the breathtaking geography of
the ocean floor.