Our goal is to help preserve and protect global undersea cultural heritage by researching, exploring, investigating, and promoting historical shipwrecks and aircraft as well as protecting sensitive marine environments through research and education.
Aronnax Expeditions is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Biomedical Group Inc. (ABGI). ABGI has been a tech incubator and creative company for 40 years with wide ranging commercial and government work within biomedical, healthcare, defense, agriculture, and aerospace industries.
Jim Burgess is the CEO of ABGI and Bill Todd is the president of Aronnax Expeditions.
President, American Biomedical Group, Inc.
James K. Burgess III is the founder and President of American Biomedical Group, Inc (ABGI). Mr. Burgess is a bio-chemistry graduate of West Virginia University with degrees in biomedical engineering technology and electronics engineering technology from Forest Park College in Saint Louis, MO. He has over 40 years experience in the Healthcare industry including his work with ABGI as a Department of Defense contractor maintaining the centers for biological and chemical defense over the past twenty-seven years. Mr. Burgess received a Congressional Award by the Department of Energy for the best energy managed hospital in the US, along with the Healthcare Forum/3M Innovator Award for Best Cost Saving for Healthcare Management.
Mr. Burgess also founded ABG Tag and Traq, a research and development venture dedicated exclusively to radio-frequency location and tracking systems built on ultrawideband technology, used for tracking high-value assets for healthcare, military and commercial organizations.
Bill Todd is the former Project Manager for Exploration Analogs at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas and is currently the Project Manager for Aronnax Expeditions. He is also a member of Aurora Trust, a non-profit ocean exploration foundation. He served as both the NASA Undersea Research Team Project Lead and Spaceflight Training Simulation Supervisor at NASA JSC. Todd is a veteran Aquanaut of 5 missions. In 2001, he commanded the first NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) mission, a joint NASA-NOAA program to study human survival in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in preparation for future space exploration. He has also worked as an Operations Lead at the Mission Control Center in Moscow, Russia.
Todd has also spent many years helping to develop the futuristic undersea exploration vessel SeaOrbiter, which was inspired by French architect Jacques Rougerie. In 2021, Todd worked in Malta on the world's oldest known Phoenician shipwreck with a well-known tech diving team.
In 2000, Todd developed the NASA Undersea Research Team "NEEMO" (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations). This program utilizes the Aquarius laboratory as a research facility for space missions such as long-term space habitation. Todd served as an aquanaut on the 2000 "NASA SEATEST" mission, NASA SEATEST 3 in 2016, SEATEST 4 in 2017, and as the commander of the October 2001 NASA NEEMO 1 mission. He subsequently managed the "topside" teams for all NASA missions. June 2012, Todd piloted a DeepWorker 2000 submersible as part of the NEEMO 16 mission, and again for the August 2019 NEEMO NXT program in Catalina, CA.
Todd was involved in the training for many spaceflights, including the first two flights to build the International Space Station, crew training for the deployment mission of the Italian-made Tethered Satellite System and for the first flight to rendezvous with the Mir Space Station. Earlier in his career, Todd worked as a Space Shuttle systems astronaut instructor for many missions including STS-31, the flight which deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. Todd also led the international training activities for STS-97/ISS 4A, which flew in November 2000.
Todd resides in Nassau Bay, Texas and the Vail Valley, Colorado. Todd is a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Divemaster who has made over 2000 dives on SCUBA, CCR, and helmet diving systems. He is also both an EXO-Suit and submersible pilot, an instrument-rated aircraft pilot, seaplane pilot and Explorers Club Fellow. Todd is a member of the SeaSpace Symposium and of the advisory board for the International Association for Handicapped Divers. Todd also plays guitar in his NASA rock band of 25 years, The Rockit Scientists.
May 20, 2022
Saba Island 3D Scans
We have completed the first ever detailed map of Saba Island.
May 2, 2022
Saba Mission Complete!
The team has successfully conducted a mapping survey of Saba Island.
Apr 15, 2022
Saba Offshore Survey is about to kick off!
Our mission to survey the Saba Island coastline runs April 20th - May 2nd.
Apr 15, 2022
Aronnax to use Wide Area Multibeam Sonar
We are searching for historic pirate vessels off the coast of Saba Island using cutting edge technology.
Apr 14, 2022
The Aronnax website is live!
View current, past and future missions here on the website.
©2022 Aronnax Expeditions LLC