WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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Critical to scientific operations aboard
the Escanaba Trough expedition

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are the submersible robots
Sentry and Jason.

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Owned and operated by Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI),

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these robots allow researchers to observe
and collect data from depths seldom

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visited by humans.

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On this expedition, Sentry acts as a
self-guided scout,

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descending thousands of meters to run
transect lines across the sea floor,

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Gathering detailed maps and imagery of
seafloor features

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such as mid-oceanic ridges and
hydrothermal systems

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that will inform Jason's dive plans.

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The remote operated vehicle, Jason, is a
workhorse of a different sort.

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Tethered to the ship by a ten-kilometer-
long fiber optic cable,

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Jason descends to the seafloor
with an array of instruments

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used to collect data.

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Jason's every movement is controlled by
WHOI pilots and navigators.

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Depending on the need,
Its two robotic arms can delicately grab

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biological samples
or firmly grasp and stow heavy rocks to be

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examined later at the surface.

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It can wield temperature probes,
suction tubes, sediment cores and more.

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All the while, multiple cameras and
powerful lights aboard Jason illuminate

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each dive from start to finish,
documenting the seafloor habitat

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and its inhabitants.

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Both robots are integral to the
expedition, but it is Jason that bears

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the physical samples.

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When Jason reaches the surface,
researchers eagerly

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retrieve the samples for processing or
preservation.

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Each dive represents a trove of invaluable
data from the depths.