Underwater NASA space-mission scrapped to avoid hurricane, Canadian astronauts swim to safety
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and the rest of the crew of NASA's NEEMO-15 are safely back on dry land after being forced to cut their mission short because their underwater laboratory, which mimics a deep-space station on the ocean floor, sits in the path of Hurricane Rina off the coast of Florida. Read more
Saint-Jacques the latest Canadian astronaut headed to Aquarius
When Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques looks out the window during his first mission as an astronaut, he'll be more likely to see fish swimming by, than stars shining bright. He'll spend most of the 13-day mission on Aquarius - the world's only undersea laboratory - making calculations, conducting medical experiments, and gathering data to bring back to the surface. Read more
NASA Announces 15th Undersea Exploration Mission Date And Crew
An international crew of astronauts will venture into the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 17 to test innovative solutions to engineering challenges during a crewed mission to an asteroid. NASA astronaut and former International Space Station crew member Shannon Walker will lead the 15th expedition of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO), a13-day undersea mission aboard the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near Key Largo, Fla. Read more
NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) project -- sends groups of NASA employees and contractors to live in the NOAA Aquarius undersea research station for up to three weeks at a time. This year's NEEMO 15 expedition, which will include the usual compliment of astronauts and engineers, is slated for October. Starting Tuesday, May 10, engineers and scientists will begin work to ensure they're prepared for rigorous testing of these concepts in October. During these preliminary tests, they will work on the ocean floor, but will not stay inside the Aquarius. This allows participants to come to the surface and retool equipment if necessary. Watch the live webscast to follow the engineering evaluations being performed in the ocean floor in Key Largo, Fl See more
Nasa simulates journey to an asteroid by rigging up giant rock underwater
But, in reality, exploring a giant rock in outer space is likely to be somewhat more complicated. For this reason, a Nasa team is simulating a journey to an asteroid by heading underwater. The scientists and engineers are today heading to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near Key Largo, Florida, to work through some of the concepts that will be tested. The Nasa Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) researchers will investigate three stages of a mission to an asteroid - how to anchor to the surface, how to move around, and how best to collect data. Source
NEEMO, an acronym for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a NASA program for studying human survival in the Aquarius underwater laboratory in preparation for future space exploration. Read more