Alvin: Dr. Robert Ballard was the chief scientist on numerous dives of the deep-sea submersible Alvin, which is owned and operated by WHOI. Alvin has been used to explore a wide range of underwater environments, including the wreck of the Titanic, hydrothermal vents, and deep-sea coral reefs. Ballard used Alvin to conduct many of his most famous explorations, including the discovery of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise and the wreck of the Titanic.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer: Dr. Robert Ballard is a principal investigator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer, a program that uses autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and ROVs to explore the ocean. Ballard has participated in several Okeanos Explorer expeditions, including a recent expedition to explore the wreck of the USS Indianapolis in the Pacific Ocean.
In addition to these projects, Dr. Robert Ballard has also been involved in a number of other research and exploration projects, including:
* The Deepsea Challenger expedition, which in 2012 took Ballard to the deepest point in the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.
* The Search for Amelia Earhart, a project to find the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's plane, which disappeared in 1937.
* The Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project, which is searching for shipwrecks in the Black Sea.
* The LOST 52 Project, which is searching for the remains of U.S. Navy submarines lost during World War II.