Measure Twice

Alvin Group leader Bruce Strickrott (left) and WHOI engineer Rod Catanach prepare to offload the human-occupied submersible Alvin from its support ship Atlantis earlier in the year. The trip from ship’s deck to the garage-like work area where Alvin is undergoing maintenance while Atlantis is conducting mooring deployments and recoveries for the Ocean Observatories Initiative is only about 100 feet, but transporting the 45,000-pound sub is a task that requires patience and careful attention to detail. (Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)