Texas Chapter welcomes Mensun Bound for a celebration of exploration

The Texas Chapter of The Explorers Club welcomed maritime archaeologist Mensun Bound to Texas this October for a series of presentations and gatherings connecting the discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance with the future of ocean exploration.

Bound, Director of Exploration for the Endurance22 expedition, helped lead the search that located the ship on March 5, 2022, more than a century after it sank beneath Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. Found nearly 10,000 feet below the surface, the remarkably preserved wreck offered an extraordinary new view of one of exploration’s most enduring stories.

The Texas program opened October 23 at Texas A&M University at Galveston, in partnership with the university’s Maritime Studies department. Astronaut Col. Michael Fossum served as the evening’s host. Bound’s presentation brought the expedition’s story to a university community with close ties to maritime research and education. That day, Bound also appeared on Houston Public Media’s Houston Matters, sharing the search for Endurance with listeners across the region.

The Houston program continues October 24 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science with a presentation, reception, and book signing. The museum lists the evening’s presentation as sold out.

The visit then moves to Austin for a special tour of the Texas State Capitol and its normally restricted cupola on October 26, followed by a horseback outing and dinner presentation at The Austin Club on October 27. An interview on FOX 7’s Good Day Austin is scheduled for October 28.

Dallas activities include an EarthX salon at the Trammell S. Crow estate on October 30, followed by a public presentation at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and a chapter dinner at the Crow Library on October 31. These gatherings offer several settings for members, guests, and public audiences to connect with Bound and his work.

Alongside the discovery story, the visit introduces the Atlantic Shackleton Global Foundation’s vision for Endurance 2, a proposed vessel supporting ocean science, conservation, education, and leadership. Through this statewide program, the Texas Chapter is creating opportunities to connect exploration’s history with the people and ideas shaping its future.