Image

A Visit to the Upgraded Jason

January 25, 2017

David Scully (right), chair of the WHOI Board of Trustees, visits with Tito Collasius, expedition leader for the remotely operated vehicle Jason, to hear about the deep-sea vehicle’s recent major overhaul. WHOI engineers stripped Jason down to its base, replacing its frame, redesigning its systems, and building it back with streamlined operations and its lift capacity increased from 400 pounds to 2 tons of scientific samples and instruments. The year-long $2.4 million upgrade was funded by the National Science Foundation. First launched in 1988, Jason has been a workhorse for oceanographic scientists, hauling instruments, conducting experiments, collecting samples, and capturing images in the depths. (Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)