How to rescue a Moonwalker in need
Thursday, July 6, 2017 - 11:02
in Astronomy & Space
During a simulated space mission underwater last week, ESA tested an ingenious concept to bring astronauts safely back to base if they are incapacitated during lunar exploration. Four ‘aquanauts’, including ESA astronaut Pedro Duque and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, took part in NASA’s 22nd Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO-22) mission, spending 10 days in the Aquarius habitat 20 m underwater off the coast of the Florida Keys. The goal is to simulate aspects of space exploration to test new equipment, procedures and operations. The aquanauts made regular ‘waterwalks’ and, by adjusting their buoyancy, they simulated gravity levels found on the Moon or Mars.