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This new CanoSOARus throwing
record occurred during in a break in the production of a PBS-KHET television series called
Reef Quest - a 10 part live broadcast educational series about Reef Ecology. While
underwater making discoveries, Professor
Joe Valencic, the program's oceanographer, interacts directly with some of the 330,000
plus students watching the program through the use of his underwater broadcasting video
camera and communications mask. This special equipment that "Digital Joe" had
developed enables him to talk and receive questions live via satellite from
students throughout the USA! During a recent show he fielded questions from students in
Nebraska and New York as he swam 25 feet below the surface explaining the nature
of one of Oahu's most beautiful coral reefs. Because the CanoSOARus is less dense than the Hawaiian saltwater it was launched in, it travels upward propelled by its inherent buoyancy. It's upward path was noted to be a unique strange zig-zag motion. An underwater video tape was made of its trajectory and will be analyzed further to understand the CanoSOARus physics of underwater flight. History, indeed has been made! "Digital Joe" is a pioneer in VIRTUAL SCIENCE who is trying to broaden the scope of education by using satellites, TV and the Internet to link students to remote destinations all around our fascinating globe for interactive electronic field trips. You can relive some of Joe's earlier exploration by clicking on the above marine science department web site address above. |
| Marine Scientist Joe Valencic, prepares for CanoSOARus record attempt! |
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| Record flight underway! | |
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| Approaching the surface! |
