Deep-sea Workhorse

Designed and built by WHOI scientists, the original vehicle Jason was launched in 1988. A more advanced, second-generation Jason (pictured) launched in 2002. Jason is a remotely operated vehicle—a tether links it to a control room on a research vessel, where researchers receive video and data from sensors and cameras on Jason and relay commands back down the tether to operate the vehicle. Jason has been a workhorse for the National Deep Submergence Facility, discovering undersea volcanoic eruptions, exploring seafloor hydrothermal vents, investigating deep-sea life, and occasionally participating in dramatic rescue operations. (Photo by David Levin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)