The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), which is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and 21 international partners, is an international marine geoscience research program that has been a leader in studying marine methane hydrate deposits for many years. The flagship of the ODP is the D/V JOIDES Resolution, which is a 471 foot-long, dynamically positioned drillship equipped with a seven-story laboratory complex that serves as a floating university . The vessel has been contracted by ODP since 1985 to conduct worldwide scientific coring operations. In 1999, the vessel underwent significant modifications and upgrades to various shipboard systems, such as the installation of an active heave compensation (AHC) system to reduce the effects of vertical heave on the drillstring, the installation of a rig instrumentation system (RIS) to capture information about drilling parameters with changes in downhole conditions, and an advanced station keeping (ASK) system to allow more efficient positioning of the ship over a spot on the seafloor. The field activities conducted onboard the D/V JOIDES Resolution allow teams of scientists to perform interdisciplinary basic research studies while at sea on two-month long voyages of discovery, which are known as legs . ODP Leg 204 will drill, core and log through the gas hydrate stability zone along a transect of sites across the southern part of Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon from July to September, 2002, and will recover samples of massive methane hydrate at near in situ pressures.