Cameron strikes me as being as much of an explorer as Christopher Columbus was
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Aliens of the Deep
Considering the popularity of the cable learning channels, I´m not sure why there isn´t as much interest in documentary movies like "Aliens of the Deep." This film is probably the best documentary movie I´ve seen to date. Directed by James Cameron and Steven Quale, "Aliens of the Deep" is a documentary of a deep-sea diving expedition headed up by James Cameron, Russian scientist Dr. Anatoly Sagalevitch, and a few marine biologists, astrobiologists, and space researchers. The amount of enthusiasm shown by the scientists, Cameron, and the crews was nothing short of children let loose at a "Toys R Us" store.
Cameron strikes me as being as much of an explorer as Christopher Columbus was. His passion for discovery takes on as much energy as I imagine he´s having while sitting in the director´s chair. In the case of "Aliens of the Deep," as well as some of Cameron´s other documentary films, the cameras just happen to be along for the ride.
As you might suspect, "Aliens of the Deep" spends the majority of the time underwater in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Cameron and his crew descend the frigid waters at a spot called "Lost City." The location is approximately 3,000 feet below sea level, which takes approximately thirty minutes to reach. Here the crew finds creatures that truly personify the film title. This is not the normal underwater adventure you get on cable TV, folks. This is the real deal. The sights and sounds captured on film are simply amazing.
To say that the creatures seen in this film are "Alien" is almost understated. The life forms that the team encounters appear more extraterrestrial than sub oceanic. If you´re any kind of inquisitive person, you simply won´t be able to look away from your TV screen.
Further on in the dive, the team reaches some lava vents on the ocean floor, which resemble small chimneys. Water jets from these exhaust ports at a rapid rate, spewing black clouds of toxic chemicals, a result of the drastic temperature differences in the lava and immensely cold water in the ocean. What´s amazing is the temperature of the water expelled from the vents is 750 ° F! Because the crew is 3,000 feet below sea level, the pressure at that depth keeps the water from boiling. The black plumes of smoke are actual chemicals within the Earth dissolved in the scorching hot temperatures.
The amazing thing about these chimneys is that there is a whole symbiotic society living around them. Now, keep in mind that at this depth there is no ambient light or any other light, for that matter. It´s pitch black down there. Most life in the world´s food chain has to have a photosynthetic process at its base. At 3,000 feet down, the base starts with chemosynthesis, which bacteria live off of and which attach themselves to these chimney vents. Yes, the same vents that have the 750° water coming out of them. The next steps up on the food chain are crabs and shrimp. They feed on the bacteria and swim in and out of these piping hot waters. Just why and how they survive doing this is still a mystery at this point.
As if this didn´t astonish enough, the astrobiologists on Cameron´s expedition make a correlation that to better understand life on other planets, we must first understand the creatures here on and in the Earth. Anywhere scientists have found water on Earth, they have also found life. The hope is that this will be true throughout the solar system and beyond. Research and procedures currently being conducted on expeditions such as Cameron´s and others in our very own oceans are having a direct impact on NASA´s planning stages for a research mission to Jupiter´s moons "Callisto," "Ganymede," "and "Europa." All of these moons have ice on them and, NASA hopes, a high probability for life. Europa has the highest likelihood of life, as it is believed by the scientific community that there is not only a liquid ocean beneath its icy outer crust, but that this ocean may also be double the size of the total combined water mass on Earth. The mission to Jupiter´s moons will require almost completely autonomous and intelligent vehicles that will conduct complex, predetermined experiments on these moons.
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