# Marianas Trench Manned Exploration **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052 "2007-10-17T16:47:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/21 "2007-10-17T18:14:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is planning to send its Nereus hybrid remotely operated vehicle (HROV) to explore the trench in 2007 or 2008 “Mr. President, we must not allow a Hole rover gap!” ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/22 "2007-10-17T18:19:16Z")
[QUOTE=Jahdra] [Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=283407&highlight=marianas+trench) you go. [/QUOTE] OK, that made me laugh out loud. Once. For 20 minutes. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/23 "2007-10-17T20:15:04Z")
I believe they found an opal at the bottom of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/24 "2007-10-17T20:19:50Z")
[QUOTE=brewha] I pretty sure they wrote a song about it. I’m not sure who sings it, but I think the name of the band is somewhat redundant. [/QUOTE] I think so too: it was either by [these guys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianas_Trench_%28band%29) or [them](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathray). ---
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/25 "2007-10-17T21:52:23Z")
I apologise if my question has created such a stir. It was a legitimate question that must have had some other meanings that I didn’t anticipate. Perhaps the word “manned” was a poor choice of words as far as political correctness goes. It was supposed to be a question about what I consider a very interesting place on planet Earth, namely the Marianas Trench. Should I have called it something else? Should I have posted this question elsewhere on the SDMB, maybe Cafe Society? Is there a better way that I could have phrased this question? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/26 "2007-10-17T21:57:09Z")
[QUOTE=kitemaker\_chuck] I apologise if my question has created such a stir. It was a legitimate question that must have had some other meanings that I didn’t anticipate. Perhaps the word “manned” was a poor choice of words as far as political correctness goes. It was supposed to be a question about what I consider a very interesting place on planet Earth, namely the Marianas Trench. Should I have called it something else? Should I have posted this question elsewhere on the SDMB, maybe Cafe Society? Is there a better way that I could have phrased this question? [/QUOTE] Don’t worry about it - you just inadvertently walked into an in-house running joke - it’s not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/27 "2007-10-17T22:06:03Z")
[QUOTE=kitemaker\_chuck] I apologise if my question has created such a stir. It was a legitimate question that must have had some other meanings that I didn’t anticipate. Perhaps the word “manned” was a poor choice of words as far as political correctness goes. It was supposed to be a question about what I consider a very interesting place on planet Earth, namely the Marianas Trench. Should I have called it something else? Should I have posted this question elsewhere on the SDMB, maybe Cafe Society? Is there a better way that I could have phrased this question? [/QUOTE] read the linked thread, but only once. It shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/28 "2007-10-17T22:22:52Z")
[QUOTE=The Chao Goes Mu] Yes, it appears there was a mission in 1995 by the Japanese. [Linkus Wikipedius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Trench) [/quote] But that was an unmanned remote-control sub. As far as I know, the [Shinkai 6500](http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec/6k.html) has the greatest operating depth (6500 m) of any submersible currently in operation. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/29 "2007-10-17T22:39:18Z")
I heard that when they went down there, they found this guy’s wallet… ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/30 "2007-10-17T23:02:50Z")
[QUOTE=WoodenTaco] I heard that when they went down there, they found this guy’s wallet… [/QUOTE] And inside that wallet was 14k of g in a f p d. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/31 "2007-10-17T23:06:30Z")
I remember Bob Ballard saying the bottom of the trench is just a mud hole with little scientific interest. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/32 "2007-10-18T01:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=Icerigger] I remember Bob Ballard saying the bottom of the trench is just a mud hole with little scientific interest. [/QUOTE] I also remember him tellling his epiphany regarding manned submersibles, about a scientist that went down on one and was completely extatic looking out to the sea floor… through the on board monitors on the sub. :smack: What´s the point of canning some guy up and plunging him 4 km down if he´s going to be looking at a screen?, better send a robot down and keep the duffus on the surface, less expense and risk by far. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/33 "2007-10-18T10:47:53Z")
[QUOTE=WoodenTaco] I heard that when they went down there, they found this guy’s wallet… [/QUOTE] Oh, I thought they found a guy with an unusual last name who was _missing_ a wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/34 "2007-10-18T12:01:34Z")
Some nocturnal flying rodent humanoid, given forewarning. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/35 "2007-10-18T13:01:28Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] But that was an unmanned remote-control sub. As far as I know, the [Shinkai 6500](http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec/6k.html) has the greatest operating depth (6500 m) of any submersible currently in operation. [/QUOTE] D’oh! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/36 "2007-10-18T14:15:47Z")
we’ve plans to make a space station on the moon. a space station! living on the moon! yet on our very own Earth, the very soil from whence we came, the very oceans where we crawled out of, we’ve only been to the deepest part only once! 40 years ago. for 20 minutes. for shame! [we’ve plans to make a space station on the moon. a space station! living on the moon! yet on our very own Earth, the very soil from whence we came, the very oceans where we crawled out of, we’ve only been to the deepest part only once! 40 years ago. for 20 minutes. for shame!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9085454&postcount=36) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/37 "2007-10-18T14:16:11Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Don’t worry about it - you just inadvertently walked into an in-house running joke - it’s not a problem. [/QUOTE] Two posters walk into a joke. Strange, you’d think the second would have ducked. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052/38 "2007-10-18T16:04:09Z")
Some-one set up us the joke! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marianas-trench-manned-exploration/423052.md?page=1)