Fri, Oct 28, 2011
Underwater Training Cut Short By Late-Season Storm
Due to the predicted path of Hurricane Rina, the 15th NASA
Extreme Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO, ended earlier
than planned. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) operates the Aquarius Undersea Laboratory and the agency
determined Rina posed a risk to the safety of the mission taking
place near Key Largo, Florida.
The six aquanauts of the NEEMO crew left the facility, where
they lived for five days, and returned to the surface of the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in Key Largo on Wednesday
morning.
The six-member NEEMO crew - Commander and NASA astronaut Shannon
Walker; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi;
Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques; Steven Squyres
of Cornell University; and James Talacek and Nate Bender of the
University of North Carolina Wilmington - kicked off this year's
mission on Oct. 20, after an initial delay caused by another storm
in the area.
NASA File Image
The NEEMO crew conducted six underwater spacewalks and one day
of scientific research inside the Aquarius habitat. They also
completed four days of scientific asteroid exploration analog
operations using the deep worker submersibles that stood in for the
Space Exploration Vehicle. This year's mission was the first NEEMO
to focus on operational concepts that would be used in human
exploration of an asteroid.
"Despite the length, we accomplished a significant amount of
research," said NEEMO Project Manager Bill Todd. "We're already
learning lessons from working in this environment."
The remainder of NEEMO 15 will not be rescheduled, and all media
events are cancelled. The NEEMO 16 mission is tentatively set for
the summer of 2012.
More News
With Testing Soon Complete, Launch Preparations Begin in Earnest Sierra Space's Dream Chaser has been put through the wringer at NASA's Glenn Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio, but w>[...]
Takeoff Roll The process whereby an aircraft is aligned with the runway centerline and the aircraft is moving with the intent to take off. For helicopters, this pertains to the act>[...]
“We’re proud of the hard work that went into receiving this validation, and it will be a welcome relief to our customers in the European Union. We couldn’t be mor>[...]
"Aircraft Spruce is pleased to announce the acquisition of the parts distribution operations of Wag-Aero. Wag-Aero was founded in the 1960’s by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the >[...]
IDENT Feature The special feature in the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS) equipment. It is used to immediately distinguish one displayed beacon target from other be>[...]