Scientists exploring new undersea worlds

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched its new research vessel, the 224-foot Okeanos Explorer, in June. It is the nation's first ship commissioned just for ocean exploration and will more fully map the ocean floor and search for life forms deep underwater.

Researchers are working alongside Indonesian scientists, and they've already spotted what they think are new species. You can follow the mission's progress, and see its many images and videos, at http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

The ship has a remote vehicle that can plummet nearly four miles to capture deep-water photos and video for the onboard media production studio. The ship's findings are reported to shore with a high-speed Internet connection.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/10/AR2010081005584.html