Just released by the ROV’s manipulator arm, a mini-flagpole rests at the bottom of the Canada Basin. Symbolizing the cooperation that made this multinational expedition a success, the flags of all participating nations (Canada, China, Japan and the United States) hang from the pole. Cheers erupted from the ROV control room, ROV lab, and forward lounge when the ROV transmitted the first images of the Canada Basin sea floor to the ship. Image courtesy of Arctic Exploration 2002, Emory Kristof, National Geographic Society, NOAA/OER.
