Recovering the instruments called for the dexterity of the WHOI-operated robotic vehicle Jason, whose mechanical arms and hands were used to knock loose hardened lava and extricate the instruments. The arms are powered and controlled through a 6-mile-long tether that delivers video of the live action on the seafloor up to pilots and scientists on the ship. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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