Image

Moving Parts

The research submersible Alvin is lifted off of its sled and track as it is deployed from the R/V Atlantis in November 2007. The track system helps keep the 17-ton vehicle stable in rolling seas and allows the operations team to move it into and out of its hangar. The venerable submarine, now in its 44th year, has made 4,398 dives to date. (Photo by Susan Mills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)