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Deep diver

The new deep-sea vehicle Nereus successfully reached the deepest part of the ocean — the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean— on May 31, 2009. First conceived in 2000 by engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, it took nine years to design and build. Nereus’ front end, in its remotely operated vehicle mode, has an array of LEDs, or light-emitting diodes (left) and camera (center) pointing down on the vehicle’s manipulator arm and sample basket. Clear tubes with red caps hold additional flotation spheres. Learn more about Nereus and the team of engineers who developed the vehicle in the latest issue of Oceanus Magazine.

(Photo by Tim Shank, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)