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Skin Tight

WHOI engineers Rod Catanach and Andy Billings fit the outer skin over one of the navigation transponders on the Autonomous Benthic Explorer, or ABE. The vehicle was the first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) adopted by the U.S. scientific community. It is often used in tandem with the submersible Alvin or the remotely operated vehicle Jason to survey large swaths of ocean floor and determine the best spots for close-up examination. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)