Tue, May 10, 2011
Underwater Experiments Simulate Trip To An Asteroid
To determine how best to explore asteroids in the future, NASA
scientists and engineers are taking their experiments underwater in
the 15th expedition of NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations,
or NEEMO.
2010 NEEMO Experiments NASA Image
This year's NEEMO expedition, which will include the usual
compliment of astronauts and engineers, is slated for October.
Since this is the first mission to simulate a trip to an asteroid,
there's a lot of work to do before the mission can start. To
prepare, engineers have journeyed to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near
Key Largo, Fla., to work through some of the concepts that will be
tested in the fall.
"Even experts don't know what the surface of an asteroid is
going to be like," said NEEMO Project Manager Bill Todd. "There may
be asteroids that we don't even know about yet that we'll be
visiting. So we're figuring out the best way to do that."
NEEMO 15 will investigate three aspects of a mission to an
asteroid: how to anchor to the surface; how to move around; and how
best to collect data. Unlike the moon or Mars, an asteroid would
have little, if any, gravity to hold astronauts or vehicles, so an
anchor would be necessary. NEEMO 15 will evaluate different
anchoring methods and how to connect the multiple anchors to form
pathways. The aquanauts and engineers will study whether it's more
efficient to join the anchors in a straight line or set them up
similar to the spokes of a wagon wheel.
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.
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