Wreck of the RMS Titanic research. The stern section, which had previously received relatively little attention from explorers, was specifically targeted for analysis. The microbial colonies aboard "Titanic" were also a key focus of investigation. The second expedition, from 27 May – 12 June 2004, saw the return of Robert Ballard to "Titanic" nearly 20 years after he discovered it. The expedition spent 11 days on the wreck, carrying out high-resolution mapping using video and stereoscopic still images. 2005 saw two expeditions to the "Titanic". James Cameron returned for the third and last time to film "Last Mysteries of the Titanic". Another expedition searched for
Wreck of the RMS Titanic the ship with the aid of the Alcoa Corporation's deep sea salvage vessel "Seaprobe". This was essentially a drillship with sonar equipment and cameras attached to the end of the drilling pipe. It could lift objects from the seabed using a remote-controlled mechanical claw. The expedition ended in failure when the drilling pipe broke, sending of pipe and $600,000 worth of electronics plunging to the sea bed. In 1978, The Walt Disney Company and "National Geographic" magazine considered mounting a joint expedition to find "Titanic", using the aluminium submersible Aluminaut. "Titanic" would have been well within the submersible's depth limits,