HR: 0800h
AN: T31B-0508    [Abstracts]
TI: Simultaneous Deep-Ocean Operations With Autonomous and Remotely Operated Vehicles
AU: Yoerger, D R
EM: dyoerger@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Insititution, 266 Woods Hole Raod MS #7, Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AU: * Bowen, A D
EM: abowen@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Insititution, 266 Woods Hole Raod MS #7, Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AU: Bradley, A M
EM: abradley@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Insititution, 266 Woods Hole Raod MS #7, Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AB: The complimentary capabilities of autonomous and remotely vehicles can be obtained more efficiently if two or more vehicles can be deployed simultaneously from a single vessel. Simultaneous operations make better use of ship time and personnel. However, such operations require specific technical capabilities and careful scheduling. We recently demonstrated several key capabilities on the VISIONS05 cruise to the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where the Autonomous Benthic Explorer (ABE) and the ROV Jason 2 were operated simultaneously. The cruise featured complex ROV operations ranging from servicing seismic instruments, water sampling, drilling, and installation of in-situ experiments. The AUV provided detailed near-bottom bathymetry of the Endeavour segment while concurrently providing a cable route survey for a primary Canadian Neptune node. To meet these goals, we had to operate both vehicles at the same time. In previous efforts, we have operated ABE in a coordinated fashion with either the submersible Alvin or Jason 2. But the vehicles were either deployed sequentially or they were operated in separate acoustic transponder nets with the restriction that the vessel recover the AUV within a reasonable period after it reached the surface to avoid loss of the AUV. During the VISIONS05 cruise, we operated both vehicles at the same time and demonstrated several key capabilities to make simultaneous operations more efficient. These include the ability of the AUV to anchor to the seafloor after its batteries were expended or if a fault occurred, allowing complex ROV operations to run to completion without the constraint of retrieving the AUV at a specific time. The anchoring system allowed the vehicle to rest near the seafloor on a short mooring in a low power state. The AUV returned to the surface either through an acoustic command from the vessel or when a preassigned time was reached. We also tested an experimental acoustic beacon system that can allow multiple vehicles to determine their position without interfering with each other.
DE: 4299 General or miscellaneous
DE: 4599 General or miscellaneous
DE: 4899 General or miscellaneous
SC: Tectonophysics [T]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005