History was made Sunday when astronaut and oceanographer Kathy Sullivan became the first human to visit both outer space and the deepest point on Earth.
Dr. Sullivan, 68, made the 35,810-foot descent alongside explorer and expedition funder Victor L. Vescovo, according to The New York Times report. After joining NASA in 1978, Dr. Sullivan became involved in the space program and in 1984 became the first American woman to walk in space.
Located some 200 miles southwest of Guma, Challenger Deep is the deepest part of the Mariana Trench—itself the deepest location on Earth—and is roughly seven miles below the ocean’s surface. After gathering documentary evidence of their visit in the submersible Limiting Factor, the pair began their journey to the surface, the ascent taking over four hours.
After the successful outcome, EYOS Expeditions, the company behind the mission, lauded the submersible as revolutionary in the field of oceanic exploration. “The commercially-rated, a first for an ultra deep-diving submersible, Limiting Factor is a privately funded hadal exploration vehicle that has transformed our ability to explore the deep ocean.”
Upon reaching the surface, Dr. Sullivan and Vescovo phoned astronauts at the International Space Station to mark the occasion.
“As a hybrid oceanographer and astronaut this was an extraordinary day, a once in a lifetime day,” Sullivan said in a statement released by EYOS Expeditions. “Seeing the moonscape of the Challenger Deep and then comparing notes with my colleagues on the ISS about our remarkable reusable inner-space outer-spacecraft.”
Following the feat, EYOS Expeditions expedition leader Rob McCallum applauded the moment and celebrated the union of two of humanity’s greatest exploratory endeavors. “It was amazing to set up a conversation between two ’spacecraft,’” he said, “One operating as a platform for research in outer space, the other an exploration vehicle for ‘inner space’. Two groups of humans using cutting edge technology to explore the outer edges of our world. It highlighted the vast span of human endeavour while at the same time linking us close together as fellow explorers. We are well used to our clients being ambitious in their quest to explore… but this was a new ‘first’.”
