The Relevance Of Scientific Ocean Drilling To The Exploration Of The Oceans

Three scientific legs of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) are described to illustrate the program's broad contribution to the assessment of the oceanic environment and of its non-living resources. The technical capabilities of the drillship, JOlDES Resolution, in reeentering drill holes and in deploying/ recovering large objects to/from the ocean floor are discussed. The development of a mining-style diamond coring system is described. It is concluded that the future development of ocean space will benefit both from the scientific knowledge and from the engineering capability being gained through the Ocean Drilling Program.