KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A view from inside the pilot house of the Liberty Star overlooks the stern where a team secures lines to underwater research equipment being used on an expedition to characterize the condition of the deep-sea coral reefs and reef fish populations in the Oculina Banks. The banks are a marine protected area, 20 miles offshore of the east coast of Florida. The equipment includes an underwater robot, a seafloor sampler, and the Passive Acoustic Monitoring System (PAMS), originally developed by NASA to monitor the impact of rocket launches on wildlife refuge lagoons at KSC. The research is sponsored by NOAA Fisheries. The ship departed from Port Canaveral April 29 and will return May 9.
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date May 2, 2003