Uncharted Territory

Seven miles beneath the surface of the ocean, the pressure is 1,000 times that at sea level. Within Challenger Deep exist volcanoes, lifeforms that have evolved to withstand the pressure, and darkness. Little else is known about this deep-sea world, as only 13 people have ever descended into its depths, but for Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, that element of the unknown is infinitely intriguing; she has spent her career putting unexplored worlds on the map.

Boaters would hardly consider throwing lines without charts aboard. With depth measurements, underwater topography and accurate weather forecasts at our fingertips, it’s easy to forget that 80 percent of the world’s oceans remain unexplored, that our environmental intelligence is not a given, but rather the product of extensive research, ambitious exploration and insatiable curiosity. Sullivan has devoted her life to these pursuits, and in the process of mapping unexplored frontiers, from outer space to the bottom of the ocean, she has shattered barriers and made history many times over.

“When I was a little girl, starting probably at age six, would hit our doorstep every month,” Sullivan, 69, recalls.