Between 1968 and 1983, the Glomar Challenger sampled the ocean floor for the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). DSDP sought critical knowledge of the earth’s crust through drilling deep cores (generally thirty foot long samples) at locations throughout the oceans. Though Glomar Challenger produced definitive evidence of sea floor renewal at mid-ocean ridges and helped support the theory of an original supercontinent that drifted apart, her greatest accomplishments were probably technical. With an ability to drill in over 20,000 feet of water and take samples from over 4,000 feet below the ocean bottom, Glomar Challenger transformed the ability of scientists to study ancient ocean environments. DSDP’s mission continues as the International Ocean Discovery Program, whose main vessel – JOIDES Resolution – completed its most recent mission in April of 2022 (at time of writing).