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Hands-on Design

In 2011 the Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin will receive a major upgrade, including a new titanium personnel sphere. This full scale mock-up of the new sphere will help engineers their deisgn.  Here, project manager Kurt Uetz (left), Chief Scientist for Deep Submergence Chris German (right), and other project participants examine the mock-up in Iselin high bay. The improvements to Alvin will include better fields of view for pilots and observers; improved illumination and imaging systems; better data collection, logging, and interface capability; and an increased payload for Alvin to carry samples and equipment.(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)