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Navigate:VIRTUAL EXPLORATIONS > ARCHIVED EXPLORATIONS > CREEP INTO THE DEEP 2015
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Part 4: ROV 101Guest Contributor: Dr. Tammy Frank, Chief Scientist and Deep-sea Explorer
Posted July 20, 2015: I wanted to tell you about the ROV. R-O-V stands for Remotely Operated Vehicle. Our ROV is the Deep Sea Systems Global Explorer. It is quite large, about the size of a mini-van! We don’t ride in the ROV like we would a submersible. We send the ROV to the deep to explore. We watch what it sees from the cameras it has attached to it. The ROV is tethered to the ship with a very long cable. Think of it as a super long extension cord that connects us to the ship to share. A crane lifts the ROV off the deck of the ship and lowers it into the water. On this expedition, we want to see what is on the ocean floor, photograph it in the light (that we provide) and also photograph it in the dark. We’re collecting samples and live animals, too. The ROV allow us to do all that. With a name of “Remotely Operated…” you might have already guessed that we operate the ROV from a distance, remotely. We can control the ROV in the deep from the ship, sort of like you can control the television from across the room with a hand-held remote control. Of course, the ROV is much more sophisticated and complicated than the television, but you get the idea. |
The ROV awaits deployment.
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The ROV control room.
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The ROV is controlled by pilots from the control room. We, the Science Team, watch the action and videos of what the ROV is seeing or doing and, when needed direct the pilot. This ROV has robotic arm we can manipulate to gently collect organisms.
The ROV has been busy in the deep and I have lots to share about that… but I’ll do that in the next update.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Tammy Frank.
The ROV has been busy in the deep and I have lots to share about that… but I’ll do that in the next update.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Tammy Frank.
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