A rig floor crewman is about to send the next core barrel down. To do so, a plate holding the inner core barrel is removed, allowing it to free fall and land in the formation. The water in the drill string slows its descent to about 200 m/min. Later in the process, a tool is sent down to couple the inner core liner with the wireline. (Credit: Richard Arculus & IODP) [Photo ID: exp351_107] Back to expedition photos.