Come aboard R/V Sally Ride, America’s newest research vessel! Free self-guided public tours are offered on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 12-4 p.m. at Downtown San Diego’s Broadway Pier. Timed windows available at Broadway Pier starting at 10:30 a.m. on the day of the event. Government-issued identification is required to board the vessel. First come, first served. All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult with government-issued identification). 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. Aboard R/V Sally Ride, you’ll tour the sampling stations and laboratories where the scientists collect their data and you’ll meet some of the ship’s crew as well as Scripps Institution of Oceanography leaders. You’ll also get to see the ship’s main work deck and living spaces. 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. Note: Flat, closed-toed shoes are required. Boarding the ship requires the use of stairs.