Upgrades to the Tethered Vehicle Systems of the National Deep Submergence Facilities

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OCE99-07999BowenWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) operates the National Deep Submergence Science Facility in support of marine scientific research. The facility consists of manned and unmanned vehicles. WHOI requests funds for the upgrade of the umanned Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), including JASON, ARGO and DSL-120. In the past 5 years the ROVs have supported over 25 cruises in marine geology, chemistry and biology. These systems have also contributed to the successful deployment of ocean floor observatory monitors and various sensors employed to understand the geophysical and geotechnical properties of mid-ocean ridges.Due to rapid changes in technology required to support scientific research in the deep ocean, the technology of the rov's must undergo steady technical and operational evolution to keep pace with these requirements. WHOI, with input from the deep submergence science community, has the necessary engineering capability to carry-out the research and development to significantly improve the capabilities of the suite of ROVs in the National Facility. The demand for improved support from the vehicles will require the construction of vehicles with greater capability for telemetry, increased payload, increased maneverability and improved sensors to measure deep submergence parameters. The engineering design will be carried out at WHOI with input from the users community. The project is expected to be completed in two years..***