Video: NASA. Photo Credit: NASA / Karl Shreeves

Society USA2. May 2020

World’s Last Underwater Lab Helps Astronauts Prepare for Space

The Aquarius Reef Base in Florida, USA is the last working underwater lab on Earth helping aquanauts conduct critical environmental research. But that’s not all, the challenging and remote environment is ideal to train astronauts!

Aquarius focuses on marine environment research and, over the last two decades, has also been home to NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program. Living underwater provides teams with a similar feel to working in zero gravity in a suit and creates a deep connection between sea and space. As astronauts train for space missions in the NEEMO program, they also work on benefiting the underwater world.

“It meant a lot to me to learn some of the facts behind coral and the loss of coral, but in a more hopeful way, what might be helping,” says retired astronaut Cady Coleman, who spent 11 days as a NEEMO 7 aquanaut. “I liked knowing I planted some things in the ocean and it might make a difference there.”

Astronauts in training spend up to three weeks at a time underwater in live-streamed missions undertaking similar tasks and challenges as they would in space, to prepare for travel aboard the International Space Station.

Source:
Fast Company

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