The subsea (systematic underwater biogeochemical science and exploration analog) program will conduct real (non-simulated) telerobotic science to understand the habitability potential of ocean…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $378,466.00 Cooperative Agreement to Arizona State University (ASU) Division, doing business as Orspa, for the SUBSEA (Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog) program. The SUBSEA program will conduct real (non-simulated) telerobotic science to understand the habitability potential of ocean worlds in our solar system, including fluid venting at isolated seamounts in the deep ocean as analog environments to hydrothermal systems on other ocean worlds. The work will be conducted from the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus, equipped with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) Hercules and Argus, with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER). This effort does not have a set-aside designation and was awarded on August 10, 2017, with a completion date of August 9, 2021.

The subsea (systematic underwater biogeochemical science and exploration analog) program will conduct real (non-simulated) telerobotic science to understand the habitability potential of ocean worlds in our solar system. Our science will include observation, instrument data gathering, and sample collection focused on fluid venting at isolated seamounts in the deep ocean as analog environments to hydrothermal systems on other ocean worlds. We will conduct our scientific fieldwork from the exploration vessel (e/v) nautilus, which is equipped with the hercules and argus remotely operated vehicles (rovs). Access to this infrastructure is enabled through in-kind support from the national oceanographic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) office of ocean exploration and research (OER). These rovs are controlled under low latency feedback conditions by proximal (ship-based) human operators who are provided scientific support and exploration direction by a remote, distributed science team (DST) who are located at exploration command centers (eccs) throughout the U.S. And connected to the nautilus via a telepresence-enabled communications infrastructure.