How an 1870s marine expedition changed oceanography and drove
eight sailors insane  When was the first voyage of the
Challenger? No, not the Space Shuttle — the original Challenger,
a sea ship that sailed in 1872. The HMS Challenger traversed the
world's oceans for four years, drove some of its sailors
completely insane, caused about a quarter of the crew to jump
ship, and forever changed the face of ocean science.  Is there a
way to scroll past the nature channels without seeing one that
describes the richness of the ocean and the life that teems in
its depth? In the early 1800s, the ocean was something to fish
in and to get across. What happened below 1500 feet was of no
concern to anyone, although scientists calculated that the
pressure, the temperature, and the lack of sunlight meant that
no life existed below. The bottom of the ocean was presumed to
be as lifeless as the surface of the moon, though it was far
less known. In 1872, the HMS Challenger was sent out to
circumnavigate the globe, with a crew of