Proposal Number: 1063482 Institution: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution PI: A. Suchy
The proposal requests one Shipboard Scientific Support item for Woods Hole vessels; namely A-frame structural and system up-grades for R/V ATLANTIS in order to safely recover and deploy the Replacement Human Occupied Vehicle (RHOV), otherwise known as the ?ALVIN Replacement?. This item is essential to make the RHOV fully operational in support of science.
Broader Impacts: The RHOV, like the ALVIN itself, will be a unique national asset. Woods Hole vessels support federally-funded scientific research throughout the world?s oceans and routinely expose graduate and undergraduate students to seagoing oceanography. All told, the KNORR, ATLANTIS and OCEANUS are scheduled to complete nearly 700 NSF sponsored days in 2011.
This grant provided the funds to: Upgrade the ALVIN Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) on R/V Atlantis. The scientific capabilities of R/V Atlantis have been significantly enhanced by the grant that supported the upgrade of the Alvin Launch and Recovery System (LARS). The newly renovated Human Occupied Deep Submersible ALVIN was heavier than the previous ALVIN. Accordingly, the rating of the ALVIN LARS was increased from 40,000 lbs. to 50,000 lbs. The extent of this upgrade to the LARS was significant and included replacement of the luffing cylinders, structural reinforcement of the A-Frame Legs, addition of 2 anti-pitch cylinders (now 4 of these), new rope, new winch drum and winch gear box, new piping, new hydraulic pumps and motors, new tail winch, significant structural upgrades to the swinging beams, new pins and bushings throughout the system, and new controls and PLCs. This upgrade of the ALVIN LARS was a prerequisite for all ALVIN launches and recoveries. Enabling R/V Atlantis to safely deploy and recover ALVIN supports significant outreach from this important scientific vehicle. The ALVIN LARS was certified by the U.S. Navy NAVSEA organization and also received Class approval from ABS. Many new standards were imposed on the design and modification of the ALVIN LARS all aimed at increasing the safety of the system used to launch and retrieve the ALVIN. Every science mission for ALVIN involves using the LARS and all aspects of the operation were deemed compliant with applicable safety standards. The system will not be sustained to these new standards. All of these improvements will support the outreach of spectacular science discoveries that come from the impressive scientific teams that research the world’s oceans in ALVIN. Enhancement of the effectiveness and safety of the platforms that bring the scientific community to sea, brought about by having reliable support equipment aboard, is of paramount importance. This scientific community includes senior oceanographic scientists, post-doctoral and doctoral students, graduate and undergraduate students as well as engineers, technicians, and teachers. The research findings that are published from the cruises will advance our understanding of the worlds’ oceans and our place in this ecosystem. Annually, a number of the cruises have web sites which broadcast real-time images and live conversations into classrooms of America. The knowledge gained and the discoveries made by the research programs supported by ALVIN from R/V Atlantis enhance the understanding of the oceans and addressed a broad range of important questions in all the scientific disciplines. These broader impacts were achieved through the reliability and effectiveness of the systems upgraded by the funding from this grant. These intellectual endeavors broaden the understanding of the oceans, spur new questions, and confirm scientific theory, benefiting society at large.
