National Geographic: Lost Ships of the Mediterranean Page #4

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look at the targets,

they won't know

if they've hit pay dirt.

There's plenty of work ahead.

Better get something to eat below.

As one shift gives way to the next,

notions of time begin to blur.

Day 6.

The team prepares to launch

an extraordinary robot named Jason,

designed and built at Woods Hole -

and championed by a man

with a life-long dream.

Robert Ballard can't remember a time

he wasn't obsessed with the deep sea.

I mean my idol, as a kid-

perhaps still is... was Captain Nemo.

He first dove in a submarine in 1969.

Later, he was part of the

historic expedition

that discovered hydrothermal vents

and surprising life

forms on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

But he's always had

a healthy respect for the deep.

Diving in a small submarine

can be very dangerous.

Pressure is a funny thing

'cause you look out the window

and you can't see it.

But it's there and the slightest

mistake and the failure of your porthole

or anything would be

a catastrophic implosion -

just pfft - you'd just vanish.

Ballard began to think that remote-

controlled robots might be the answer.

The idea led to a prototype

called 'Jason Jr.',

rigged with four motors,

a thirty-meter tether,

and an electronic eye.

In 1986, on the Titanic, Jason Jr.

proved himself a nimble explorer.

Maneuvered by Martin Bowen

from within a submarine,

the little robot descended

the grand staircase

and danced beneath a chandelier.

That success launched a flurry

of innovation at Woods Hole.

By the 1990s, Jason had become

a technological wonder weighing

just over two tons.

In a sense, he remains

a work-in-progress-

forever refined and improved.

But even his standard features

are impressive.

Seven thrusters allow for

precision maneuvering underwater.

Titanium components can withstand

depths of 6000 meters.

Get it here and move

the whole thing back.

Jason's video, film and electronic

cameras can be remote-controlled

by an experienced pilot.

Likewise his articulated arm,

which can lift up to 15 kilos.

You know, right about here, Andy.

By about my foot.

To fire up such a complex machine

takes teamwork and time.

Jason won't be ready to launch

until well after dark.

It's a breathless moment

just before Jason hits the water.

If a single component leaks,

it could short-circuit

the entire electrical system.

Okay, pins released.

But tonight it's 'all systems go.'

Jason dives toward the most promising

of the three sonar targets.

And we're off.

Roger, make it slow.

You're 110 meters out to the target.

At the controls is pilot Will Sellers.

He adjusts Jason's buoyancy

by dropping ballast weights.

Amazing!

Jason's own forward-facing sonar

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