MARS User Costs (not covered by MARS Operations and Management)
MARS users must budget for ship costs, cable, connectors and interface electronics if necessary. MBARI has developed a MARS Science Port Interface that will simplify interfacing new and existing equipment to MARS. The interface design is available at no charge to users. MARS users are encouraged to use the MARS manager as a resource in planning their proposal.
A MARS proposal may include a request for technical support and ship or ROV support from MBARI, or it can request UNOLS vessels/ submersibles or other resources. An example of services available "at cost" from MBARI is provided in the following table:
(2008 rates; daily total based on 8-hour day.)
Description |
TOTAL |
TOTAL |
|
hourly |
daily |
LABOR: |
|
|
| DIVER | $65 |
$520 |
MARINE OPERATIONS TECHNICIAN |
$65 |
$520 |
OCEAN OBSERVATORY TECHNICIAN |
$65 |
$520 |
MACHINIST |
$74 |
$592 |
ENGINEER SUPPORT |
$100 |
$800 |
ENGINEER TECHNICIAN |
$70 |
$560 |
|
|
|
TEST TANK RATE |
|
$450 |
2008 Vessel and Vehicle Rates
Vessel/Vehicle |
NSF/NOAA/MBARI daily rates |
Commercial daily rates |
Standby |
| R/V Western Flyer / ROV Tiburon |
$28,800 | $43,200 | n/a |
| R/V Point Lobos/ ROV Ventana | $9,600 10-hour day |
$14,400 10-hour day |
n/a |
| R/V Point Lobos/ ROV Ventana | $11,800 12-hour day |
$17,700 12-hour day |
n/a |
| R/V Point Lobos only | $6,505 | $9,758 | $4880 |
| R/V Zephyr only | $5,200 10-hour day |
$7650 10-hour day |
$3825 |
| R/V Zephyr / AUV | $8,800 10-hour day |
$13,200 |
n/a |
| R/V Zehpyr only | $6,300 |
$9450 24-hour day |
$4725 |
| R/V Zephyr / AUV | $10,900 |
$16,350 |
n/a |
| AUV only | $5,000 24-hour day |
$7500 |
Science port use cost
MARS will be available to several different funding organizations, including but not limited to: NSF, ONR, NOAA, NASA, DOE, and foreign oceanographic funding agencies. Each of the organizations will benefit from the availability of MARS as an ocean science and technology test site.
We believe that the MARS O&M costs should be distributed fairly to the actual users and NSF should not bear the full burden of the ongoing operations and maintenance costs. To achieve this objective we propose a minimal fee for each project either funded by NSF or to those whose objective is to develop technology for OOI observatories using one of the eight MARS ports. The intent of this fee is help pay for maintenance and other costs after the first year. We will also require a fee equaling a fair share of the operational costs from other U.S. government funding agencies to use MARS, as these agencies may have objectives not directly linked to NSF or OOI. Additionally, we anticipate that a monthly fee will encourage MARS users to cycle through their testing at a reasonable pace to allow for other technologies to be tested using the limited number of MARS science ports.
The MARS science port fee rate will be governed by annual discussions with NSF (National Science Foundation,) JOI (Joint Oceanographic Institutions,) and OOI (Ocean Observatory Initiative) with dual objectives of providing a repair reserve and regulating the rate of MARS user science port use.