Contact: Maridith Geuder
An oceanographic vessel named for the African-American explorer who was among the first to reach the North Pole is the subject of a July 7 interactive broadcast.
An electronic field trip aboard the USNS Henson is available by satellite 1-2 p.m. CDT to highlight underwater survey technology. Colleges and universities, museums and other educational institutions around the nation are participating in the educational program being broadcast by Mississippi State University's Television Center.
The field trip aboard the Navy oceanographic survey ship is provided by the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command located at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. The live interactive program will provide real-time perspectives of the advanced technology used to survey ocean depths.
The USNS Henson is one of a fleet of Pathfinder-class ships capable of surveying in either coastal or deep ocean waters. Like its sister ships, it travels around the world to collect a variety of oceanographic data needed to update nautical charts or create new ones.
The ship is named for Matthew Henson, a key member of Admiral Robert Peary's 1909 expedition to the North Pole. Born in Maryland in 1866, he was orphaned at age eight and went to sea aboard a merchant vessel when he was 12. He first accompanied Peary on an expedition in 1887, and more than 20 years later was an integral part of his Arctic team. He died in 1955.
For more information about the broadcast, contact David Hutto, Mississippi State University Television Center at (601) 325-1332.