A research vessel more accustomed to supporting science on the open ocean is embarking on a first-of-its-kind, 2,531-nautical-mile journey through the Great Lakes to help scientists investigate some of the universe's most elusive elementary particles.

WHOI’s RV Neil Armstrong has set out on an 11-day, 2,531 nautical-mile transit through Great Lakes waterways and locks. (Image credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s ( WHOI ) research vessel (R/V) Neil Armstrong departed its home port of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on October 28 bound for Duluth, Minnesota, where it is expected to arrive around November 9.…