Mission Control

Inside a dark room on the research vessel Atlantis, more than one dozen monitors display information from the remotely operated vehicle Jason, an unmanned robot working miles below the ship. Pilots and scientists work from this control center—a converted cargo container— to monitor Jason’s instruments and video feed while maneuvering the vehicle. The average Jason dive lasts 21 hours, though operators have kept the vehicle down for as long as 100 hours. There are rules when stepping inside the room: Do not eat anything requiring a plate (horizontal surfaces are rare), or bring in food that smells bad (it’s a small, confined space). (Photo by Julia DeMarines)