Public Tours of R/V Sally Ride set for Oct. 29-30

Come aboard R/V Sally Ride, America’s newest research vessel!

Owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, the 238-foot state-of-the-art ship is one of the most technologically advanced oceanographic research vessels in the world. Get an up-close look as Scripps’ newest ship prepares to embark on new journeys of exploration and boundary-breaking in an effort to understand and protect our planet.

Free self-guided tours will be offered at downtown San Diego’s Broadway Pier (directions):

• For Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego faculty, staff, and students, the vessel will be open noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. UCSD ID  required; friends and family welcome.
• For the general public, the vessel will be open noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30.

Only a limited number of people can be allowed on board at a given time, so wait times will depend on turnout. Passes for specific time slots will be available at the Scripps Oceanography table on the pier after 11 each morning.

Tours let you see the sampling stations and laboratories where the scientists collect their data. You’ll meet some of the ship’s crew as well as Scripps  Oceanography leaders. You’ll also get to see the ship’s main work deck and living spaces.

Please note:

• Government-issued identification is required to board the vessel.
• All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult with government-issued identification).
• Flat, closed-toed shoes are required.
• Boarding and walking around the ship requires the use of stairs.

R/V Sally Ride’s primary objective is to investigate the workings of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere to help address some of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges. The ship will host researchers who pursue new solutions to issues such as climate change impacts and adaptation, human health, and environmental hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

The vessel is named in honor of the late Sally Ride, the first American woman in space as part of NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger crew, and member of UC San Diego’s physics faculty.

For more on R/V Sally Ride:

• This site will cover the vessel's first year
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