Making the Right Connections

WHOI engineering assistant Chris Judge rewires a junction box on the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason. This junction box, or j-box, houses the electrical wiring that connects the ROV’s cameras, Doppler sonar, and scientific instruments to its electronics chassis. The work was part of a 12-month, $2.4 million vehicle upgrade funded by the National Science Foundation and completed earlier this year. During a mission, Jason is connected by a tether to a ship and is operated from a control van on the ship’s deck. The tether is also a conduit for the ROV to send HD video back to the ship from the seafloor in real time. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)