But much like missions off our planet, those to the bottom of the oceans are also allowing humanity to look at the Earth in new ways. While Nasa says its oceanographic explorations have yielded "thousands" of scientific discoveries, they are also providing information that could be vital if we hope to continue living on a world with healthy oceans. We need to understand our oceanic environments if we are to save them, says Laura Lorenzoni, ocean biology and biogeochemistry program scientist with the science mission directorate at Nasa.
