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Repair Job

Assistant engineers Jean Lavache and Wayne Sylvia and oiler Roger Fong (left to right) overhaul a pump on R/V Neil Armstrong during its inaugural voyage from Anacortes, Wash., to the East Coast late last year. Research vessels like Neil Armstrong and Atlantis stay at sea for weeks at a time and many days’ sail from land. As a result, a quick trip to the hardware store is often out of the question, and the ships must be well-stocked with spare parts and the crewmembers are skilled in repairing almost every part. (Photo by Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)