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Thomas Lippitt of NASA's Advanced Systems Development (ASD) laboratory observes robotic operations as Chris Nicholson, owner of Deep Sea Systems, and Bill Jones of NASA's ASD laboratory operate the unmanned robotic submersible recovery system, known as Max Rover, during a test of the system at the Trident Pier at Port Canaveral. The submersible is seen in the water with the Diver Operated Plug (DOP). Kennedy Space Center's solid rocket booster (SRB) retrieval team and ASD laboratory staff hope that the new robotic technology will make the process of inserting the plug safer and less strenuous. Currently, scuba divers manually insert the DOP into the aft nozzle of a jettisoned SRB 60 to 70 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. After the plug is installed, water is pumped out of the booster allowing it to float horizontally. It is then towed back to Hangar AF at Cape Canaveral Air Station for refurbishment. Deep Sea Systems of Falmouth, Mass., built the submersible for NASA.