Category: University of Washington, School of Oceanography Page 3 of 7

Week 2 with JASON

Monday (7/10)

This was a day of transiting spent servicing parts and completing predive checks to ensure JASON is ready to dive at midnight.

The next set of dives are considered “bounce” dives, where the rov will carry down new science equipment to swap out with older ones on the ocean floor.

Tuesday (7/11)

12am – Successfully launched JASON to complete the first “bounce” dive. The depth is more shallow, only 650-700 meters. Science equipment was switched out efficiently and we recovered by 2:30am.

6am – Prepared JASON for another “bounce” dive, but while launching faced some mechanical issues and aborted dive. The team worked together to identify and resolve the issue at hand, and we were able to resume diving.

1:30pm – Completed a second “bounce” dive to exchange equipment at the same depth and has JASON back on deck by 3:30pm.

Post-dive checks were completed, and new science equipment was secured for the next dive.

Wednesday (7/12)

Last dive for this expedition!

2pm – Launched JASON and switched out the last of the equipment on the ocean floor at a depth of 700 meters. The dive went smoothly and there was extra time to collect visual images of the area so science members could complete a mosaic of the study area. During the collection, everyone was able to enjoy a vast assortment of marine life like octopus, fish, crabs, sponges, and corals.

6pm – Recovered ROV, completed post dives and began transiting back to port.

Thursday (7/13)

On the transit today we started our demobilization with:

Removed science cable wiring from the front port-side j-box. 

Stripped down the front basket to prepare for the next cruise.

Drained the vehicle’s fluids and serviced the ROV.

The ship docked at 2pm and the team was able to have the rest of the afternoon off to relax. We ended up disk-golfing and having dinner at a local restaurant. This shorter cruise had gone quite well, and the science and rov team were satisfied with the amount of work completed. 

Friday (7/14)

Today was spent servicing the rov. We reconnected hydraulic lines and equipment, filled the junction boxes with oil, secured all lines and hoses with zip-ties, cleaned and situated all pieces on the vehicle so it was neat, organized, and easily manipulated, if needed.

The science team departed this morning and the new one arrives tomorrow.

Saturday (7/15)

New day, new cruise!

Today began our official mobilization of the HUBER cruise. Some of the science team joined us on the R/V Thompson, while others’ schedules have them arriving tomorrow.

A few WHOI personnel flew out to help with this mob and I was able to reconnect with some who I worked with last summer.

This cruise will be heavy on the sampling side, so we began assembling and mounting:

The single bottle slurp system

A SUPR sampler for water samples

3 NISKIN water samplers

-I got to spend a few hours under JASON’s “belly” running and securing trigger lines. Although some of the mob duties require fitting into smaller places, I really like being able to “get inside” the rov and implement new tools for sampling.

Sunday (7/16)

Continuation of mobilization:

Rechecking mounts and lines from yesterday

Tested NISKIN trigger lines

Create a layout for the basket which will hold multiple sample bio-boxes, milk crates, 3 major water samplers, temperature probes, the slerp hose/handle, and other science equipment as needed.

Trained for operation and troubleshooting of the SUPR sampler. 

Tip of the Week: “Safety first”

No matter what the situation is while at sea, always remember the most important thing: Safety First! This career focuses on maintaining and operating rov systems for science purposes, but one’s safety outweighs any equipment or operation at any time.

This is extremely important, especially when deploying or launching the rov. As the crane lifts JASON, we do help stabilize the vehicle with a person at each corner. For every lift/lower event, always remember to watch where you position your feet and hands. Equipment can be fixed and replaced, your health and well-being cannot.

Be safe out there!

 

Week 1 in the books!!!! (7/2-7/9)

Sunday (7/2)

Here we go!!!!!! I’m leaving……on a jet plane………and heading from Traverse City, MI to Portland, OR. The official start of MATE’s long-term internship 2023!

Luckily these flights were merely delayed a few hours, so I made it to Portland by 3pm.

This first evening will be spent catching up with the JASON team members who I worked with last summer. We reminisced about the previous science cruises, successes, and struggles while discussing this summer’s objectives.

Monday (7/3)

After breakfast, we divided into groups and loaded up to head from Portland to Newport. The few hours spent transiting allowed a few of the newer individuals to get to know each other before reaching our next hotel. We stayed the night at a location right on the coast and celebrated our arrival with dinner at the hotel restaurant while watching the sunset over the ocean. I really enjoy watching the JASON team members come together like an extended ROV family, sharing stories of their previous endeavors, future goals, and many laughs throughout the night. It really sets the tone for the upcoming cruises.

Tuesday (7/4)

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Up and at ‘em early! We arrived on the Thompson early enough to unload our belongings into our berths and begin work at 8am sharp!

Mobilization is the name of the game! This morning was intentionally started early so the crew could prepare the back deck so the tool and rigging (equipment/storage) vans could be loaded and secured in place. We were able to load the control vans on top of the tool and rigging vans before having to break.

There is a local race every July 4th, and runners come through along the dock, which pumps the breaks on our mobilization efforts.

Once the vans were secured and runners exited the dock area, we set up the stairway to the control vans, unloaded all the storage vans, set up the ROV lab, and brought JASON onto the deck of the ship.

It is impressive to see how quickly an empty back deck can transform into a major ROV workspace. The communication and teamwork make the process faster than one would expect.

Towards the end of the day, we began vehicle checks and focused on the pan and tilt(p&t) cameras. We removed, cleaned, filled the comps, and remounted the pilot and science cams.

Wednesday (7/5)

While in port, the schedule tends to be from 8am to 5pm, but once we depart and dives begin, the shifts change to the 4-on and 8-off split. For this cruise, I will be on the 8-12 shifts, so 8am-12pm and 8pm-12am.

For today, the team divides to conquer mobilization tasks. The team I am working with focus on vehicle checks and maintenance.

In continuing the work from yesterday, we verify the brow p&t is good to go, but had to comp the aft p&t.

Mounted 2 deck cameras, secured their cables, and tested their systems.

Retermination of the Optical Fiber****

I was really excited to be involved in this! My marine electronics fiber fusion splicing practice was essential here! Once we finished connecting the new fibers to JASON’s aft, port-side junction box (j-box), we tested and verified light levels. And success!!!! This was a bit tedious and the retermination process is too much to try and describe here, but it is a favorite of mine. Last summer I was only able to observe, but this year with having completed classes specifically relating to this, I was able to assist with completing this. 

Thursday (7/6)

Continuation of mobilization:

Wired science cables into the front port-side j-box and verify voltages. 

Tested fiber cables and cleaned connectors, then rested. 

Brought up Jetway voltage (105 volts).

Completed Predive checks for ROV.

Friday (7/7)

Last morning in port! The team’s goal is to wrap up loose ends and prepare for departure. The first dive is scheduled for tomorrow, is all goes smoothly.

Tasks completed today included:

CTD configuration and mounting.

P&T camera adjustments

Fill junction boxes

Bleed all of the air out of everything! -J-boxes, comps, manips, cams, etc……on the hunt to remove any and all air bubbles from lines.

Preparing for departure included securing everything that could move once the ship is underway.

Completed Predive checks.

The Thompson departed at approximately 4:45pm and we are officially at sea!

Saturday (7/8)

Back at it again with adjusting the Pilot p&t motion adjustments. We had to ensure that it only rotates a certain distance left-right, and up-down. This morning was spent verifying topside and predive checks.

I identified a small amount of water in the port-side aft j-box, so we drained it, removed the water, and refilled the j-box with oil.

We then completed another set of predive checks, which were successful.

4pm: JASON’s first launch

I was able to participate in the first launch, and it went very well.

This first dive should be around 800 meters deep and is scheduled to last anywhere between 6-24 hours.

8pm-12am: First split shift

Co-piloted from 8-10:30pm, overseeing the vehicle’s systems and completing hourly voltage, pressure, and temperature checks.

By 10:30pm we completed dives tasks and added objectives before recovering vehicle.

10:30pm: Recovered ROV, completed visual inspection, and washed it.

Sunday (7/9)

This morning we completed Post-dive and Predive checks, tidied up the tool van, and now have some free time on our hands.

We will be transiting to our next location, and our second (and possibly last) dive will be in a couple days.

My first week back with JASON has been wonderful. There was no “readjustment” period, it seems we all stepped right back to where we were last summer. The group is fantastic! Each willing and enthusiastic to share their knowledge with others.

 

Last summer I shared a weekly tip, so I will do my best to carry on this tradition.

Tip of the Week: “See something, say something.”

-In this line of work, the idea of double-checking and triple-checking your work as well as other’s work is essential. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes, no matter how experienced they are, is just what is needed. If you are newer in this field, always ask questions. The only bad question is the one not spoken. Or even just an observation. A small amount of water in a j-box could prove to be detrimental to mission success, so pointing it out to your team lead is vital.

Everyone contributes to these cruises, and everyone has a voice. This team makes you feel included, heard, and important.

So let’s do this!

 

Hello and good morning! I am this year’s long-term internship recipient! I wanted to jump on and introduce myself. Last summer I was honored to complete the MATE short-term internship where I ventured out with WHOI’s ROV JASON team to tackle sample collection/exploration/data acquisition of areas around the Blanco Fracture Zone and Mount Axial from May 23rd through July 5th, 2022.
This year, I will again be setting sail with WHOI onboard the Thompson, off the coast of Newport, Oregon. The first three months-ish (June 29th-Sept 24th) will be at-sea, and then I will travel to the east coast and finish the final three months (Oct 1st- Dec 23rd) at the WHOI facility where I get the opportunity to be apart of the maintenance/rebuild of JASON. 
I just graduated with my associate’s degree in the Marine Technology Program at Northwestern Michigan College. I cannot wait to get back out with WHOI and look forward to keeping you all updated on the adventures along the way!

Hello!

This week I took a beginner electronics class where we practiced soldering and splicing and learned how to handle wires, it was very enlightening. I must have solders lot of wires before knowing how to finally do it properly, and next week we are learning how to crimp wires.

I also learned how to make better smoothies (add sorbet, no ice/no watery fruits/try to stay away from adding milk/use juice from concentrate). Also how dog agilty competitions work.

Additionally, a Navy officer came to speak about the state of submarines. I learned they are primarily exist now to protect undersea cables.

Other than that I updated some push scripts, created a backup for the joybox controller with a rasp pi and a screen and helped with well testing. 

-Syenna

Hello!

This week I worked on datapods and went to a few talks giving by the MIT joint program students and scientists. I also went to the Woods Hole film festival, the movie the played was about trailerpark ownership in the US. Other than that I am still going to the beach everyday, eating seafood and going to the free aquarium to see the seals!

– Syenna

Hello!

I am in week 5 of my internship, i’m now just starting to get really comfortable with how the software processes work on the Sentry team and biking everywhere in Woods Hole!

This week I …

– Went to the Woods Hole aquarium 

– Went to Martha’s Vineyard

– Fixed a booting issue on a portable server

– Installed OS/software on a datapod (a computer that collects data on sentry while underwater) and verfied that it works well

– Learned about servo/encoder software at a Sentry engineering meeting 

– Got raging poison ivy!

 

Have a good week,

Syenna

Hello,

This week i’m completing troubleshooting tasks to get the some of the software components ready to go back out to sea.

Such as, fixing ethernet ports on one datapod (one of the computers that collects the data for Sentry when its underwater), installing operating systems on another datapod and fixing booting issues with a server.

 

– Syenna 🙂

 

 

Hello,

This is my first week in Woods Hole, at the Deep Submergence Laboratory! We are scheduled to spend the rest of the summer (and my time here) performing maintance tasks on Sentry.

Since i’m on the software team, I will be learning a lot about IT and networking while i’m here.

This week I will be helping with a decktest (the test you perform on the robot to make sure its performing as expected) and installing ubuntu and code repos on their new watchstation. 

I also joined the softball team and go to the beach everyday!

-Syenna 🙂

 

This is my second week on the ship! So far I have …

• Participated in decktests where you prepare the robot to start a dive.
• Participated in post processing of data from the dive.
• Created a MATLAB plot of the servos. 
• Worked with a trigger board.
• Helped fix a RAID.
• Looked at a lot of logs generated from crontab, and helped fix issues from those logs.
• Decorated sentry with electrical tape to look like a kracken.
• Shrunk cups on Jason.
• Saw whales, rattails, spider crabs, dolphins, seals, hydrothermal vent worms and lots of other animals.
• Learned how to navigate by the stars and use a sextant with the 3rd mate (Grace).
• Learned all about batheymetry mapping software from Dave from Mbari. 
• and made a lot of friends.

The work days are pretty long here, usually starting work at 8:00 and working until midnight, my watch shift was (18:00 – 24:00). But the food is buffet style and there are plenty of choices of drinks and snacks. 

Final week with WHOI / JASON team (Friday 6/24 – Friday 7/1)

How the time has flown by!

This was a week of perseverance. JASON struggled with a reoccurring ground fault in the starboard horizontal thruster. Regardless, the pilots were able to continue the mission and complete all tasks on time. The only real difference was when JASON was transiting, it had to fly laterally to make decent time. Adapting is most definitely an essential skill in this position.

Question of the week: What is the longest JASON has remained on the seafloor?

As of now, the longest recorded dive JASON has completed was 7 days. With it’s tether supplying the needed power, it has the capability of staying down even longer, if everything operates smoothly.

Friday (6/24)

Second day of a continuous 4-day dive and things have gone according to plan.

• Both of today’s 4-8 shifts were spent copiloting in the engineering chair, overseeing JASON’s operating systems. Each hour I go through a check list ensuring pressures and temperatures are being maintained. Some of these include:

• Hydraulic Compensator, Main compensator, and the Thruster Compensator Pressures
• Jetway Voltage and Amp Levels
• Level-wind motor, cable drum, and break temperatures
• Winch motor-control room temps and system free from ground faults

• I also was able to log 1.5hrs of JASON piloting

Saturday (6/25)

• 4-8am: co-piloting

• During this shift JASON’s stbd horizontal thruster had to be disabled after grounding

• 10:30 am: JASON was recovered on deck and the thruster was removed, serviced and the inner seal was replaced.
• 2pm: JASON was deployed
• 4-8pm: co-piloting, and was able to log another hour of piloting

Sunday – Monday (6/26 – 6/27)

Both these days were spent co-piloting in the engineering position.

• The same stbd horizontal thruster had to be disabled due to grounding issues.
• The overall goal these days were to transit to specific locations that contain “benchmarks” where we deploy a pressure sensor for 20 minutes to collect data. The sensor is then recovered and then transition to the next area.
• During the collection time, we were able to see a number of different creatures at depths between 1400-1600 meters.

Tuesday (6/28)

This morning JASON was recovered at 4am.

• We completely replaced the grounding thruster with a new one, and then continued to bleed the system for air bubbles throughout the day.
• Due to weather conditions, we were unable to launch again until conditions improved.
• Pre-dive checks were completed throughout the day

Wednesday (6/29)

• 6:30am Pre-dive/launch checks and procedures were completed
• 8am: JASON launched
• 4-8pm: co-piloting

Thursday (6/30)

• 4-8am: co-piloting.

• While relieving the previous shift, we were informed that the same thruster again had grounding issues and was disabled.
• The decision was made to bring JASON back up and inspect the thruster connectors.

• 4-6pm: co-piloting and winch operations/supervision while JASON was being recovered.
• 7pm: JASON back on deck
• Thruster connectors were replaced and resealed.

Friday (7/1)

• 2:30am Predive checks completed
• 4am: JASON launched
• 5-8am: co-piloting

• While overseeing JASON’s systems, I noticed the AC ground fault sensor jumping from 40M ohms to 1.1M ohms, and reported it to the pilot.
• I investigated each sensor and thruster system and determined the same thruster was again having issues and the decision to disable it was made.

• JASON was recovered for the last time at 1pm.

Although the thruster issue kept reoccurring, all of the mission objectives were completed on time. Tomorrow during the ship’s transit back to Newport, the team will be troubleshooting and identifying what caused this reoccurrence. I have a sneaky suspicion it is the motor-control pod connector that the thruster connector attaches to. Either way, this amazing team will work together to resolve the issue and prep the vehicle for the next cruise.

It has been a privilege to work alongside such amazing individuals and am looking forward to what possibilities may come from this experience. I am grateful for every day I was able to spend out here and plan to continue my goal of pursuing a career in this field.

If you would have asked me last year ago, what my dream job would be…the answer was: working on the JASON team for WHOI. And then after applying for internship opportunities through MATE, I was lucky enough to be chosen for this internship!

It is incredible what things are possible if you continue to put the work in and remain open-minded!

This second cruise I was able to accumulate:

• 14 days at sea
• Mobilization Days: 2
• Demobilization Days: 2
• Co-Piloting JASON (engineering chair): 68hrs
• Piloting JASON: 5hrs, plus 30 minutes operating the manipulators to collect lava rocks

•  

  Tip of the week:

  Know your knots! When you are at sea, you have to secure pretty much everything to ensure it will remain in place during transit. And sometimes you will need to help prepare scientific equipment that will need to be able to break away while at the seafloor. Knowing some basic knots will definitely help like the clove hitch, bowline, half-hitch, square knot, and also the double-sheet bend knot (where you join 2 lines).

  

 

Tip of the week:

Know your knots! When you are at sea, you have to secure pretty much everything to ensure it will remain in place during transit. And sometimes you will need to help prepare scientific equipment that will need to be able to break away while at the seafloor. Knowing some basic knots will definitely help like the clove hitch, bowline, half-hitch, square knot, and also the double-sheet bend knot (where you join 2 lines).