The idea for the operations of the Nautilus and the Okeanos Explorer is that when you are out on a mission,
in the middle of absolutely nowhere and a discovery is made,
the people aboard are not scientists, they're engineers, they're aquanauts.
They're there to operate the technology and to make the initial contact.
Telepresence works like this: The video and data are collected by the ROV and the sled
and from there, sent to the control room on the ship.
And all that information is sent in real time via satellite connected to the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island.
The Inner Space Center is for ocean exploration what Houston is for space exploration.
And since it is connected constantly to the ship, and the ship works 24 hours a day,
the Inner Space Center works 24 hours a day as well.
Scientists from all around the world can participate in real time through telepresence,
and the data and information can be shared between the ships and shore.
And so the technology of telepresence makes it possible for everyone, from the scientists to the students to the general public
to participate in the greatest discoveries of ocean exploration.