Greetings from NEEMO Topside!
While NEEMO 8 is only a 3 day mission, our crew got off to a very busy start. Today’s activities were highlighted by a construction task while EVA, working with a Remotely Operated Vehicle, working some more with the control center (ExPOC) in Houston, and two educational outreach events.
Since this mission was sponsored by the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, it’s important that we demonstrate whether this really is a good analog environment for Exploration. One thing we’ve put a lot of effort into is making the environment during EVAs resemble what we might find on the Moon. Commander Mike Gernhardt, an experienced spacewalker, is now working on the development of our next generation of space suits to support Exploration. In his words (from his journal yesterday): We spent a lot of effort to measure the weight of every component of the diving system, and then using special weight vests, and weighted boots, we weighed ourselves so that we were 1/6 of our weight in Earth gravity. This simulates working in the 1/6 gravity field of the moon. Performing this exercise in 1/6 G was very eye opening and a glimpse into the future of lunar exploration. One thing we learned is that it is better to have your center of gravity at your hips or lower, so that you don’t have the tendency to fall on your face! The ability to use this underwater analogue, with different weightings, and weight distributions will be an important source of information as we develop and optimize new space suits for exploring the moon at 1/6 G and Mars at 3/8 G.
While wearing these properly weighted EVA suits, the crew embarked on a construction task, affectionately known as “Waterlab.” Due to the shortened mission length, only a fraction of the normal structure was built this time. While not nearly as complicated as most space tasks, here, as in space, one’s mobility and dexterity are encumbered, communications are a little ragged at times, and you constantly have to think ahead. With the real–time help of the ExPOC, the crew easily finished the task ahead of schedule.
After the Waterlab EVA ended, the crew and ExPOC engaged in a “lost” tool exercise. The premise was that some tools had been lost during the EVA. Since we knew where they were working, we knew the general area to search. However, rather than perform another somewhat dangerous (at least they are in space) EVA to find them, why not use the ROV to look for them? We commonly use robotics in space operations to help limit crew EVA time, so it’s a reasonable premise. Thanks to our old friends at American Standard Robotics, an ROV was available to support this exercise. Our Topside Team hid a handful of tools in a large sector south of Aquarius. The ExPOC by this time had generated a high fidelity map of the immediate area, and together they and the crew undertook the challenge to find the “lost” tools using the ROV. The crew was at the controls, and part of the time they were running the show, while part of the time the ExPOC was running the show by giving the crew voice commands. (The ExPOC could see the ROV camera view, as well as the views from two cameras stationed outside.) It was an interesting look at crew and control center synergy while operating robotics. Three of the four tools were found successfully. (The fourth had been covered by sand from the current…)
Finally, it was time to end the diving for the mission and prepare for the long decompression which will purge their blood of excess nitrogen and allow them to return safely to the surface. Former Navy DMT Roger Garcia joined our crew of 6 to shepherd them through the oxygen prebreathe and decompression protocol, leading to their “splashup” at 11:30 on Friday.
Thanks for following along. More to come!
— NEEMO 7 Topside Team (Marc Reagan, Bill Todd, Michelle Lucas, and Dan Sedej back in Houston)
We have splashed down and begun our mission. Mike and Danny are out in the water on the SuperLite 17 helmets conducting the first Extra Vehicular Activity or EVA. They are working to develop a detailed map of the reef and other landmarks around the habitat. The helmets they are wearing enable them to talk to each other, another crew member inside the habitat, and to a team of people back in Houston, the ExPOC. So, they are reporting the measurements they are making and their teammates inside and in Houston are recording the data in order to create a map. This is similar to what a team on the moon or Mars might do when they first get to their base. We are here to demonstrate how Aquarius and NEEMO can be used as a training and operational concept development tool for planning and preparing for future exploration missions to the moon or Mars.
It was an awesome feeling to stand in the wetporch when we first came in and realize that I would be staying here for a while rather than just dropping in for a quick visit. It is such a thrill to be here; something I’ve been wanting to do for several years now. This is a great crew I’m here with and I look forward to making the most of our visit here.
Greetings from NEEMO Topside!
We are happy to announce that the NEEMO 8 mission got off to a great start today with a 10:19 EDT (approximate) Splashdown. NEEMO 8 was sponsored by the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters for the purpose of investigating earth—based exploration analogs to help transition our workforce to fulfill the Vision for Space Exploration. The primary objective was to demonstrate the capabilities of NOAA’s Aquarius habitat and the NEEMO Project to provide an Exploration Analog for planetary exploration tasks, operational concept development, and crew and control center synergy while operating remote vehicles.
Along with veteran habitat technicians Craig Cooper and Joe March from UNCW is a crew of 4 NEEMO veterans from NASA: Commander Mike Gernhardt, Scott Kelly, Danny Olivas, and Monika Schultz.
Today’s activities were highlighted by a series of in–water EVAs outfitted in space–analog type hard hats (Superlite 17s donated by the U.S. Navy.) The air was supplied by umbilicals fed from Aquarius. The task for the crew was to take basic data of their surrounding environment, which was fed to our control team in Houston (in the Exploration and Planning Operations Center, or ExPOC). Using this data, the ExPOC started putting together a detailed map of the surface bathymetry and obstructions in the immediate area, which will be used to plan and execute a drill tomorrow where they search for some “lost” tools using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). But more about that tomorrow…
Thanks for following along. More to come!
— NEEMO 7 Topside Team (Marc Reagan, Bill Todd, Michelle Lucas, and Dan Sedej back in Houston)
Today was a very exciting day, returning to the Aquarius Habitat after almost 3 years. The habitat looked the same as I recalled as well did the surrounding reef and sea life. It’s good to be back down here!
After about an hour getting reoriented to life in the habitat, we set out on our first dive on the superlite 17 hard hat helmet system. The visibililty was outstanding with low currents and relatively comfortable water temperature.
Splashdown today went as planned. As I type, Mike Gernhardt is actively engaged with our two crew members who are currently engaged in our primary mapping exercise. This expedition, NASA is exploring the use of Aquarius as a potential test bed for Lunar and Martian excursion training. Unlike previous ventures to our 45 ft deep home away from home, this shortened training evolution is making use of the buoyant nature of humans in water to simulate the gravitational field of the moon. Over the course of the last 2 days, we have been working with the NURC team in developing a course whereby our astronauts can trade in their standard mask, fins and SCUBA tanks for hard helmet, weighted boots and surface supplied umbilicals. This is the first of a series of training events where we are using what was learned in the previous 7 NEEMO missions and mapping it over into the grand endeavors of the new defined Vision for Space Exploration. Using the modified life support system from Aquarius, we are staging a several exercises deemed to be in line with what astronauts might one day have to do if based on some other planetary body.
Monika Schultz and Scott Kelly, using their umbilicals as glorified “measuring tapes” and diver’s compasses to define radials, have just concluded a mapping exercise that 4 hours ago, Mike and I initiated. Using these simple tools such as these, astronauts would be expected to map their immediate surrounding in enough detail so that those on earth might be able to gain more insight into their surroundings. What makes this activity especially interesting and challenging is that we have been coordinating with our mission control center in Houston to record data and run the excursion timeline.
As might have been expected on such a compressed timeline as this two day mission is, communication problems with Houston early in the activity meant we had to rely on the old standby…humans close by. With communication down with Houston, Mike and I coordinated the entire first have of the exercise with Scott and Monika. As our habitat technicians worked furiously to sort out the problems with MCC, we resorted to using what we know, everything by hand.
Needless to say, everything worked out great. The data was dumped to the server and we’re now wrapping up for the day. All in all, a great day at the bottom of the ocean. Saw a lot as well as learned a lot. What we’re doing will definitely teach us more about how we will one day do business on the surface of the moon or mars.