What better way to honor the Museum’s S101 submarine exhibit (running from July 28 – August 12 thanks to the OceanGate Foundation), than to have visitors design and operate their own underwater remotely-operated vehicles? ROVs represent a vital aspect of understanding our oceans and other marine environments – they can take measurements of ocean conditions, investigate shipwrecks, take photos of marine life and habitats, and collect specimens for study - and they can do it all in places that are too dangerous for people to go. Over the last two weekends, Museum visitors have built their own ROV frame with supplies from the MATE Center, then with everyday materials like pipe cleaners, mini-butterfly nets, and clothespins, they designed attachments to scoop and gather “specimens” from the bottom of a special tank in the Museum’s Sea Lab. Of course a key part of all scientific endeavors is the experiment, and most learned that driving an ROV is more challenging than it looks, with 3 propellers to operate at the same time. But between seeing the S101 sub, and operating the ROVs, we may have some future submariners in our midst!

Lemaih designs his own ROV...

...and is a successful ROV operator!

It’s not a sentence you would expect to hear. A submarine dives into the Miami Science Museum! But this summer, from July 28 – August 12, the S101 submarine is on display at the Museum, thanks to a partnership with the OceanGate Foundation. The S101 has had a unique voyage on its way to the Museum. One of the earliest diesel-electric subs ever constructed, it was built in England and tested by the Swedish Navy. But then it received an interesting paint job. An environmental group took ownership and wanted to use it divert whales away from whalers – so they decided to paint it like an orca. (See the orca in the photo below?) But the S101 was not done yet. A private owner then upgraded the mechanics and dove the sub 35 times, exploring under the waters of Lake Washington and Puget Sound. And now the sub has a new purpose – to excite and inspire here at the Museum.

The mission of the OceanGate Foundation is to expand humanity’s understanding of the world’s oceans through exploration, education and outreach, and the S101 will surely do its part to inspire Museum visitors. And for youth participating in Museum programs, including Digital WAVE and select Summer Camp classes, that means special access to the sub and the chance to hear from visiting OceanGate staff and sub pilots about the science and technology of submarines. Mission accomplished!

The S101 Sub at the Miami Science Museum

OceanGate Foundation staff visit the S101 sub at the Museum

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