Why Space Exploration instead of Under Sea Exploration?

Or more importantly, why manned missions to Mars? instead of exploring more than the 5% of ocean that we've only explored?

The Ocean after all is the lifeblood of the Earth. It covers more than 70% of it. Yet for all of our reliance on the ocean, 95 percent of this realm remains unexplored, unseen by human eyes.

How many species are still to be discovered? I'm guessing the number could be in it's millions?

To have explored the moon before the sea floor seems counterintuitive.

Will we ever know about the mysteries that lay under our oceans, or will we simply keep up the ignorance towards it?

Honestly/ I think, engineering-wise, it is easier to undertake an interstellar voyage than one that goes to the deepest depths.

Either that, or they have been told never to do it by the aliens that live down there...

(Hey, it's a conspiracy site... hehe)

a reply to: skyblueworld

It is being explored as we speak, but it's a very slow process, the thing is the 5% looks like the rest of the 95%, the "new" life we find in the depths are just new versions of species we already know with an occasionally new species.

Super-long term planning. Conceivably, we could populate the entire surface of the planet some day in the very distant future, but if we know how to travel to and populate other planets then land will no longer be a finite resource.

Also, populating another planet halves the likelyhood that the destruction of Earth (via man-made or natural disaster) will mean the end of the human race.

a reply to: skyblueworld


The pressure exerted by water above a target area at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, has been measured at 1086 bar, or 15,750 psi. Just so that we understand that in a manner which we have some hope of comprehending, I should point out that the impact pressure of a .50 cal round at 2000 yards, is 2764 pounds per square inch, which is enough to penetrate a 1 and 3/4 inch steel plate.

That huge undersea pressure is roughly ONE THOUSAND TIMES, that which can be found at sea level. This presents engineering challenges which outstrip those presented by travel in a vacuum.

a reply to: TrueBrit
This is true and your answer why.