Updates
ROV Control Station
ROV dive operations are controlled and monitored from a station in the ship’s lab. A darkened room provides better contrast for the monitors, which allow the pilot to view ROV operating information and seafloor conditions.
Read MoreROV Dive Prep
CGSN Team Members Irene Duran (foreground) and James Kuo (background) prepare the OOI ROV for operations on the back deck of the Armstrong. The ROV camera and sonar are used to assess conditions on the sea floor prior to mooring deployments.
Read MoreSunrise over the Multi-Function Node
The OOI-CGSN team on the RV Neil Armstrong is in transit to the test mooring deployment sites. The Multi-Function Node is deployed with the Coastal Surface Mooring and provides a platform for seabed measurements like turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, pressure, currents.
Read MoreOut of Drydock
The RV Neil Armstrong was floated out of drydock and is now ready to go! The team departed on the Pioneer MAB test mooring and mapping cruise on Feb. 21st and will be offshore for approximately one week. They will map the seabed using sonar, perform ROV visual inspections, and deploy two test moorings.
Read MoreA View From Below
Not a view many get to see! Chief Engineer Pete Marczak waving from the stern and Irene Duran, Jennifer Batryn, and Dee Emrich standing in the Charleston, SC drydock give a good sense of the size of the RV Neil Armstrong below the waterline.
Read MoreVoulgaris Visit
Chief Scientist Al Plueddemann describes OOI equipment on the deck of the Armstrong during a visit by NSF Program Director George Voulgaris (right). The equipment was prepared for deployment as a part of engineering tests for the MAB Pioneer Array. Details about instrumentation and electronics were provided by OOI team members (left to right) John…
Read MoreMoving Quickly
The mobilization of the Pioneer MAB test moorings is moving quickly thanks to the expertise of the OOI-CGSN team, the crew of the Armstrong, and the support of the dockyard. The buoy builds are complete and the profiler and surface buoys were moved to the ship.
Read MoreAssembly Complete
Jim Ryder and Kris Newhall complete assembly of At-Sea Test 3 surface buoy to be deployed at new Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight location this month. The test moorings will confirm the design of the systems to be implemented within the new array in Spring 2024.
Read MoreWell and Tower Preparations
The OOI-CGSN team members Alex Franks and Jared Schwartz, with dockyard support, prepare the At-Sea Test 3 surface mooring well and tower for integration into the buoy.
Read MoreMoving Parts
The RV Neil Armstrong crew move the buoy frame and buoyancy foam for the At-Sea Test 3 surface mooring from the ship to the dock in Charleston, SC. At-Sea Test 3 is the deployment of test moorings at the new OOI Pioneer Mid-Atlantic Bight location.
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