Show Date: April 13, 2005

BOB SILVERS RETURNS WITH A NEW ADVENTURE
AND
PUTTING ON THE MILEAGE
Pam Eastlick for the Marianas Variety

Greetings and welcome to The Deep column and the deepest radio show on Earth. The Deep is the science talk radio program that takes you from the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of the universe. This week on The Deep hosted by Jim Sullivan and aired at 6:00 this evening on K-57, we’ll talk about one of our favorite topics, sharks. Then we’ll talk about The Ranger, a ship with an interesting past and an interesting future. We’ll have some expedition calls and, of course, our science news updates. We’ll also be taking your phone calls. Tune in tonight! Log on to www.thedeepradioshow.com for all the latest and deepest news!

ROAMING WITH THE HERCULES
If you are a long-time listener of The Deep radio show on K-57, you certainly remember Bob Silvers and his weekly calls from the deck of the Arctic Lady. Bob and his crew sailed the ship from Alaska, down the west coast of North and Central America and through the Panama Canal. They then sailed north through the Caribbean, up the eastern coast of Florida and across the Atlantic Ocean. They made several stops in the Mediterranean and ended their voyage 14,000 miles later in Beirut, Lebanon where they delivered the Arctic Lady to her owner. Along the way, they encountered all kinds of wildlife, on sea and on land and met many wonderful people. For a full account of this astounding voyage, visit www.bandacorp.com/ArcticLady.htm. You’ll be astounded, and be sure to take plenty of time to explore the site.

After his yearlong odyssey with the Arctic Lady, Bob Silvers was ready to tackle another challenge and he found it with the 122-foot research ship the Hercules.

The Hercules is owned by the RPM Nautical Foundation, a non-profit organization that uses state-of-the-art technology to conduct nautical archeology. The Hercules is based in Malta and is designed to support a wide range of functions. These include remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s). These cameras and robots can sink to depths beyond the capabilities of divers, sample the ocean bottom and artifacts, and take pictures. The Hercules can also support manned submersibles and diving operations.

In addition, the Hercules is equipped with multibeam and sidescan sonar as well as a built in GPS and an eight-station data processing center. She also has a large crane with a five-ton lifting capacity. She carries a crew of four to six and can accommodate up to ten research scientists.

The Hercules will first visit the Mediterranean port of Valletta, the capital city of the island of Malta. The researchers hope to complete a topographical map of the harbor’s bottom and discover the location of several torpedo boats sunk during World War II.

Tune in to The Deep this evening for our first report from Bob Silvers on this marvelous ship and the expeditions planned for her this summer. It will be great to have Bob back!

CAN YOU SAY ‘ENERGIZER BUNNY’?
NASA has just approved up to 18 more months of operations for Spirit and Opportunity, the twin Mars rovers that have already surprised engineers and scientists by continuing active exploration for more than 14 months.
Both rovers are nearing targets that seemed well out of reach a year ago. Opportunity is about half a mile from a region called "Etched Terrain," where scientists hope to find rocks exposed by gentle wind erosion rather than by disruptive cratering impacts. They also hope to find rocks from a different time in Mars' history than any examined so far.
Opportunity landed in a vast flat plane and the rover drivers have been setting speed records. Opportunity has overtaken Spirit in total distance driven and has gone more than 5 kilometers (3 miles) -- eight times the original goal. On March 20, Opportunity also set a new Martian distance record of 220 meters (722 feet) in a single day's drive. Opportunity's solar panels, though now dustier than Spirit's, still generate enough power to allow driving for more than three hours on some days.

Spirit is in much rougher terrain than Opportunity, climbing a rocky slope toward the top of "Husband Hill." On March 9, Spirit had its solar panels cleaned by a friendly Martian dust devil and with its formerly balky right-front wheel now working normally, it made some longer one-day drives in March than it had for months.

Both rovers do have some signs of wear and exposure. Spirit's rock abrasion tool has lost some teeth and the remaining ones are worn after exposing the interiors of over fifteen rocks, five times more than the design goal of three rocks. Scientists are also trying to determine if Opportunity's miniature thermal emission spectrometer is still usable despite tests indicating a problem last month. All other instruments on both rovers are still working normally.
To learn more about the little robots that could, visit JPL’s rover web page at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov .

FAREWELL CAPTAIN MELODY

Our host on The Deep, Jim Sullivan has lost his only crew member and best friend. Farewell Captain Melody. May you sail forever among the stars!

Whether we’re visiting the Hercules in Malta or Spirit and Opportunity on Mars, The Deep is the place to be on K-57 tonight at 6:00 p.m. We’ll have some expedition calls and take your phone calls. Don’t miss it!