In the undersea mountain range known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, nature rivals the best creations of Jules Verne. Hot springs belch black smoke, and volcanoes shoot lava into the cold and dark water. Giant clams and tube worms the size of garden hoses blanket the dark waters.
Primitive bacteria survive the lack of sunlight by getting energy from sulfur.
Into this otherworldly scene ventures another strange creature. It looks like a whale and flies like a helicopter. It is a robot named Jason. Its arm scoops up chunks of the sea floor and captures a rasher of tube worms. In addition, more than a dozen sensors monitor the robot's latitude, longitude, pitch, roll, yaw, pressure, and acceleration.