Jeff Bezos Finds Apollo 11 Engines on Bottom of Sea Floor, Plans to Raise Them Up
Posted on March 29, 2012
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos says his team has located the Apollo 11 engines on the bottom of the sea using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar. He plans to try to raise one or more of them up from the ocean floor.
Bezos says in the announcement, "I'm excited to report that, using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar, the team has found the Apollo 11 engines lying 14,000 feet below the surface, and we're making plans to attempt to raise one or more of them from the ocean floor. We don't know yet what condition these engines might be in - they hit the ocean at high velocity and have been in salt water for more than 40 years. On the other hand, they're made of tough stuff, so we'll see."
Bezos says the engines remain the property of NASA. He says NASA would probably decide to make it available to the Smithsonian. He also says if more than one engine is raised he is going to ask NASA if they will consider placing one in Seattle's Museum of Flight.
Jeff Bezos is been privately funding science and space projects, such as the Blue Origin and the 10,000 Year Clock. His Bezos Expeditions site now includes the F1 Engine Recovery mission.