View Platform

Jason is a two-body ROV system. A 10-kilometer (6-mile) fiber-optic tether delivers electrical power and commands from the ship through Medea and down to Jason, which then returns data and live video imagery. Medea serves as a shock absorber, buffering Jason from the movements of the ship, while providing lighting and a bird's eye view of the ROV during seafloor operations. Jason is equipped with sonar imagers, water samplers, video and still cameras, and lighting gear. Jason's manipulator arms collect samples of rock, sediment, or marine life and place them in the vehicle's basket or on "elevated" platforms that float heavier loads to the surface. Pilots and scientists work from a control room on the ship to monitor Jason's instruments and video while maneuvering the vehicle. The average Jason dive lasts 21 hours, though operators have kept the vehicle down for as long as 100 hours.