Finding NEEMO

NOAA “Aquarius”, September 16, 2006 – NASA astronauts learned more about the difficulties of living and working on the moon in a very surprising place — under the sea. The four astronauts spent recently spent a week (Sept. 16-22) onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) "Aquarius" underwater laboratory, imitating moonwalks and testing mobility concepts for using various spacesuit configurations and weights to simulate lunar gravity. In addition, the crew tested techniques for communication, navigation and geological sample retrieval. The 11th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) project was NASA’s third and last mission this year to an undersea laboratory. “Just like the feeling of floating in space, it is hard to describe what it feels like to walk around on the bottom of the ocean,” the crew wrote in their mission journal. “Our weight is a lot lower than it is on dry land, so we actually bounce more than walk. We hope it is a good simulation of how we might move around on the moon.” The crew did up to three dives a day, and much of their time was spent on tests to determine the optimal weight of a future planetary-based space suit. It wasn’t all work under the sea, however. The crew linked up live with different groups of school students to describe their activities. They also did a live video link-up with the International Space Station crew. Two of ISS astronauts had previously lived in the “Aquarius” habitat during other NEEMO missions. All four NEEMO astronauts —veteran flyer Sandra H. Magnus, Army Lt. Col. Timothy L. Kopra, Army Col. Timothy J. Creamer and Air Force Maj. Robert L. Behnke — are training for possible assignment to ISS missions. The next undersea adventure, NEEMO 12, is scheduled for May 2007. The 12-day mission is expected to focus on telesurgery and lunar exploration concepts. .

After splashdown, NEEMO 11 crewmembers make way to their undersea habitat beginning the 11th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) project. A NEEMO 11 crewmember works near the undersea habitat "Aquarius" during a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) for the NEEMO project. For More Information National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "Aquarius" NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations Mission Journal International Space Station

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