Jason was first launched in 1988, and the system has been used for hundreds of dives to hydrothermal vents in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. A sturdier, more advanced vehicle was launched in 2002. (Photo by Dan Fornari, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Jason gives researchers eyes and hands in the ocean depths, allowing them to see, photograph, and collect samples miles below the surface. (Photo by Cherie Winner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Oceanographers using Jason discovered and recorded the first video and still images of a deep-sea volcano actively erupting molten lava on the seafloor. (Joseph Resing, Univ. Washington/NSF, NOAA/ROV Jason ©2009 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
The original ROV Jason waits for a 1991 cruise aboard the submarine support vessel Betty Chouest. (Photo by Terri Corbett, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Jason Jr., seen here peering into an RMS Titanic stateroom, was a small remotely operated prototype vehicle of the larger Jason. (Photo courtesy Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)
Spotlights on the bottom of Medea, the partner remotely operated vehicle to Jason, set the ocean aglow during a nighttime recovery. (Photo by David Levin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Pilots and scientists controlling Jason work from a darkened control room that is constructed of two specially equipped shipping containers mounted together on the host ship. (Photo by Tom Lanagan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Jason’s manipulator arms, seen here, collect samples of rock, sediment, or marine life and place them in the vehicle’s basket or on “elevator” platforms that float heavier loads to the surface.
Oceanographers using the Jason discovered and recorded the first video and still images of a deep-sea volcano actively erupting molten lava on the seafloor. Jason utilized a prototype, high-definition still and video camera to capture the powerful event nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in an area bounded by Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. (Joseph Resing, Univ. Washington/NSF, NOAA/ROV Jason ©2009 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
In January 2014, the remotely operated vehicle Jason explored deep-sea vent sites on the East Pacific Rise at the 9º North vent field. This video is a compilation of clips and it shows some of the organisms and seafloor habitats the team explored. (Stefan Sievert, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/NSF, NOAA/ROV Jason ©2014 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
ROV Jason/Medea is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system that allows scientists to have round-the-clock access to the seafloor without leaving the deck of a ship, often for days at a time. A 10-kilometer (6-mile) reinforced fiber-optic cable delivers electrical power and controls from the ship through Medea and down to Jason, which then returns data and live video imagery to the surface. Medea serves as a shock absorber, buffering Jason from movements of the ship, while providing lighting and a top-down view during seafloor operations. Jason carries scientific instruments, lights, cameras, manipulator arms, and a storage area for samples.
