The National Science Foundation launched its new seismic research vessel, available for use by UT and other universities in Galveston, on Monday.

The 235-foot-long ship has been outfitted with computers, multi-beam sonar and state of the art hydrophones that can stretch up to five miles.

"It's the country's most advanced seismic research vessel," said John Bird, spokesman for the Geology Foundation at the Jackson School of Geosciences. "They put off acoustic sounds under water and depth charges and measure the sound wave responses to map the sea floor and the earth's crust. It's a premier ship for exploring the earth and understanding parts of the earth we still know very little about."

Bird said the boat's topographic research can produce other tangible returns.

"The basic research done on a ship like this often produces discoveries that then help us find new oil and gas resources or new sources of energy like methane hydrates," he said. "There are all sorts of alternative fuels that we learn about through this kind of research. Some people have heard about these deep ocean vents, where you find new forms of life. There are all sorts of things associated with the vents like learning about new chemicals that are used in pharmaceuticals."

The new vessel, called the R/V Marcus G. Langseth, replaces the R/V Maurice Ewing, named after the founder of the UT Institute for Geophysics.

In early 2008, UT scientists will board the vessel for its first scientific voyage. Researchers will explore an earthquake zone off the shore of Costa Rica.

Due to the high cost of research vessels, the ship was purchased by the science foundation and administered by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Institute at Columbia

University.

"They manage it and then lease out the vessel to geophysicists and marine researchers around the country," Bird said. "We used the last one more than any other

university."

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