Instrument: Leggo Lander

The "Leggo Lander" is a lander system that primarily relies on syntactic foam for buoyancy and uses iridium GPS, radio signal, strobe light and flag for surface recovery, and acoustics for underwater monitoring and instrument control. The lander has a timer with 5 control settings for various operations. It routinely measures pressure (depth) throughout its dive and temperature on the seafloor. The lander payloads include a pressure-retaining seawater sampler plus 2 liter Niskin bottle, and a camera/battery/light system that also includes a 30 liter Niskin bottle and a sea cucumber trap. With the camera payload it travels down or up the water column at about 39 meters per minute (~ 4.5 hours for a descent to the Challenger Deep at ~10,920 m).

(Description obtained from the R/V Falkor FK141215 post-cruise report (PDF))