There is no question that the scientific ocean drilling program, throughout its history, has had a fundamental impact on our understanding of earth’s history. The science that has been accomplished has expanded our knowledge of plate tectonics, climate change, extinction, evolution, and more. But to truly appreciate the science accomplishments, one needs to consider the remarkable technologies that have been engineered.  The JOIDES Resolution is the most prominent “tool” of the current program as was the Glomar Challenger of the first ocean drilling program, but these vessels are only the tip of the iceberg.  Balances designed to negate the impacts of wave motion, cameras mounted on microscopes that document the fine structures in rocks, tools designed to get other out of bore holes, the list of amazing accomplishments goes on and on. Technologies are often engineered to meet a need, but they also spur new scientific capability and new questions. The tools being deployed on Expedition 341S are no exception.