January 23, 2014 Slideshow

On a ship made almost entirely of metal, small wooden touches like this sign bearing Atlantis’ name are a welcome reminder of land.

Jesse McNichol and François Thomas wrap up one last late night in the lab.

These small samples of basalt, a craggy volcanic rock that makes up much of the seafloor at the East Pacific Rise, will come home with members of the science team as souvenirs of the expedition.

Costa Vetriani (left) and Donato Giovannelli reassemble a device they used collect vent fluid samples while at the East Pacific Rise. Unlike Jeff Seewald’s Isobaric Gas-Tight samplers, this device doesn’t keep the liquid pressurized.

This massive cargo ship, spotted outside of Acapulco, dwarfs the Atlantis. Ships like these can stretch to nearly 1,000 feet long (Atlantis is only 274 feet long).

Jason electronics technician Rick Sanger sits on the stern of the Atlantis, watching the sunset.

As we sail back to Panama, some of the Jason team and members of the science party are treated to tours of the human-occupied vehicle Alvin, which has been in its hangar on the stern of the ship during this expedition. Here, Miri Sollich (left) and Ruby Ponnudarai beam as they climb into the craft for the first time.

The full science team poses for one final photograph in front of Jason.