It may not be a battle station, but recently, America just launched a fully operational research vessel, and it is named for a real-life spacefarer, Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Much like a starship, the R/V Sally Ride is outfitted with sophisticated equipment for scanning and charting its surroundings, and can be used to launch probes -- not into the depths of space to search for Rebel activity, but the depths of the seas to study earth, ocean, and atmospheric processes. Whether it’s journeying to the watery planet core of Naboo, or braving the currents of Kamino, or diving in the reefs of Mon Cala and jetting about the shallows on Scarif, the galaxy far, far away is full of wonders to inspire oceanographic discovery, and many of the research scientists and ship’s crew of the R/V Sally Ride draw on their love of Star Wars as part of their path leading them to explore the seas on our planet in order to help solve some of our world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to global food supply.

Tagged: Sally Ride

Exploring an Underwater Galaxy: How the R/V Sally Ride Crew Draws Inspiration from Star Wars