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Jason Gets An Upgrade

WHOI engineers examine the underside of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason while prepping it for tests on the WHOI dock. A $2.4 million upgrade by the National Science Foundation (NSF) made Jason even more capable, including increasing its lift capability from 400 pounds to 2 tons of scientific samples and instruments. A key reason for the upgrade was to enable Jason to efficiently perform maintenance to seafloor infrastructure related to the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative and to Ocean Networks Canada’s cabled observatories. WHOI operates  Jason on behalf the nation’s ocean scientists as part of the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF). (Photo by Erika Fitzpatrick, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)