Editing Challenger Deep (section)

====2020 – ''Ring of Fire Expedition / DSV Limiting Factor''====
{{main|DSV Limiting Factor}}
[[File:Limiting Factor floating on the water surface.jpg|thumb|DSV ''Limiting Factor'' floating on the water surface]]

Caladan Oceanic's "Ring of Fire" expedition in the Pacific included six manned descents and twenty-five lander deployments into all three basins of the Challenger Deep all piloted by [[Victor Vescovo]] and further topographical and marine life survey of the entire Challenger Deep.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://caladanoceanic.com/expeditions/ringoffire/ |title=The Ring of Fire Expedition Overview |work=caladanoceanic.com |access-date=9 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608152244/https://caladanoceanic.com/expeditions/ringoffire/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The expedition craft used are the Deep Submersible Support Vessel DSSV ''Pressure Drop'', Deep-Submergence Vehicle DSV ''Limiting Factor'' and the ultra-deep-sea landers ''Closp'', ''Flere'' and ''Skaff''.
During the first manned dive on 7 June 2020 Victor Vescovo and former US astronaut (and former NOAA Administrator) [[Kathryn D. Sullivan]] descended to the "Eastern Pool" of the Challenger Deep in the Deep-Submergence Vehicle ''Limiting Factor''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060820a-astronaut-sullivan-challenger-deep.html |title=Former astronaut becomes first person to visit both space and the deepest place in the ocean |work=collectspace.com |access-date=9 June 2020 |archive-date=11 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711022902/http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060820a-astronaut-sullivan-challenger-deep.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/astronaut-kathy-sullivan-challenger-deep-dive-scn/index.html |title=Astronaut Kathy Sullivan is first woman to dive to Challenger Deep |work=cnn.com |date=10 June 2020 |access-date=10 June 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610145606/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/astronaut-kathy-sullivan-challenger-deep-dive-scn/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 12 June 2020, Victor Vescovo and mountaineer and explorer [[Vanessa O'Brien]] descended to the "Eastern Pool" of the Challenger Deep spending three hours mapping the bottom. O'Brien said her dive scanned about a mile of desolate bottom terrain, finding that the surface is not flat, as once was thought, but sloping by about {{convert|18|ft|m|1|abbr=on|lk=on}} per mile, subject to verification.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/16/female-explorer-becomes-first-reach-highest-lowest-points-planet-reveals-what-was-like-journeying-4-hours-ocean-floor-12857647/ |title=Explorer becomes the first woman to reach the highest and lowest points on the planet |work=metro.co.uk |date=16 June 2020 |access-date=23 June 2020 |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616134000/https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/16/female-explorer-becomes-first-reach-highest-lowest-points-planet-reveals-what-was-like-journeying-4-hours-ocean-floor-12857647/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://jedennews.com/second-woman-to-make-challenger-deep-ocean-dive/ |title=Second Woman to Make Challenger Deep Ocean Dive |work=jedennews.com |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613100758/https://jedennews.com/second-woman-to-make-challenger-deep-ocean-dive/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2020/06/18/voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-earth/ |title=Voyage to the Bottom of the Earth |work=forbes.com |access-date=21 June 2020 |archive-date=7 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707063259/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2020/06/18/voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-earth/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=To the Bottom of the Sea: Interview with Vanessa O'Brien|url=https://explorersweb.com/2020/06/23/to-the-bottom-of-the-sea-interview-with-vanessa-obrien/|access-date=2020-06-25|website=Explorersweb|date=23 June 2020 |archive-date=25 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625162246/https://explorersweb.com/2020/06/23/to-the-bottom-of-the-sea-interview-with-vanessa-obrien/|url-status=live}}</ref>
On 14 June 2020, Victor Vescovo and John Rost descended to the "Eastern Pool" of the Challenger Deep in the Deep-Submergence Vehicle ''Limiting Factor'' spending four hours at depth and transiting the bottom for nearly 2 miles.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1272342697551028230|user=VictorVescovo|title=Yesterday we just completed the deepest, longest dive ever. Mission specialist John Rost and I explored the Eastern…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |accessdate=21 June 2020|date=15 June 2020}}</ref>
On 20 June 2020, Victor Vescovo and Kelly Walsh descended to the "Western Pool" of the Challenger Deep in the Deep-Submergence Vehicle ''Limiting Factor'' spending four hours at the bottom. They reached a maximum depth of {{Convert|10923|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Kelly Walsh is the son of the ''[[Trieste (bathyscaphe)|Trieste's]]'' captain [[Don Walsh]] who descended there in 1960 with [[Jacques Piccard]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53112621 |title=Mariana Trench: Don Walsh's son repeats historic ocean dive |work=bbc.com |date=20 June 2020 |access-date=21 June 2020 |archive-date=23 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623122434/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53112621 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://caladanoceanic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EYOS-Expeditions-Kelly-Walsh-dive-20th-June-2020.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021022307/https://caladanoceanic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EYOS-Expeditions-Kelly-Walsh-dive-20th-June-2020.pdf |archive-date=2020-10-21 |url-status=live |title=From father to son; the next generation of ocean exploration. Kelly Walsh repeats father's historic dive, 60 years later, on Father's Day weekend |work=caladanoceanic.com |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
On 21 June 2020, Victor Vescovo and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researcher Ying-Tsong Lin descended to the "Central Pool" of the Challenger Deep in the Deep-Submergence Vehicle ''Limiting Factor''. They reached a maximum depth of {{Convert|10915|m|ft|abbr=on}} ±{{Convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/CaladanOceanic |title=On our latest dive, @WHOI research scientist Dr. Ying-Tsong "Y.-T". Lin joined @VictorVescovo to become, not only the first person born in Taiwan to go to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but also the first from the Asian continent to do so.work=@CaladanOceanic twitter.com |access-date=24 June 2020 |archive-date=24 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624123831/https://twitter.com/caladanoceanic |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/whoi-researcher-dives-to-challenger-deep/ |title=WHOI Researcher Dives to Challenger Deep |work=whoi.edu |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629024615/https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/whoi-researcher-dives-to-challenger-deep/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://caladanoceanic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PhaseV_YTRelease_FINAL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021023506/https://caladanoceanic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PhaseV_YTRelease_FINAL.pdf |archive-date=2020-10-21 |url-status=live |title=First Taiwanese Native Dives to Challenger Deep |work=caladanoceanic.com |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>
On 26 June 2020 Victor Vescovo and [[Jim Wigginton]] descended to the "Eastern Pool" of the Challenger Deep in the Deep-Submergence Vehicle ''Limiting Factor''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tritonsubs.com/2020/07/01/8773/ |title=Caladan Oceanic Revisits Challenger Deep in Month-Long Dive Series |work=tritonsubs.com |access-date=29 July 2020 |archive-date=29 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729135248/https://tritonsubs.com/2020/07/01/8773/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>