Bright lights illuminate rain drops splattering across the back deck of R/V Atlantis. It’s just after 2:00 a.m., but the entire ROV team (and most of our science team) is awake and ready to go to work. Expedition Leader Akel Kevis-Stirling lifts a radio to his ear as the voice of Captain Derek Bergeron crackles through the speaker.

“You are clear for launch.”

“Copy that,” Akel says. “Launching Jason.”

The 11,000-pound remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason rises slowly into the air and glides smoothly over the starboard rail of the ship. While launching Jason is a routine activity aboard Atlantis, this particular launch brings a sense of relief for the whole team. After dealing with a mechanical setback with the ROV winch at the start of this expedition, we are thrilled to finally get Jason in the water and begin our work on the seafloor.

We are currently 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, floating above the Juan de Fuca mid-ocean ridge spreading center. A mile below us is Axial Seamount, the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest.