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NEEMO

Coordinates:24°57′00″N80°27′13″W/ 24.95000°N 80.45361°W/24.95000; -80.45361
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NEEMO Program
A NEEMO 11 crewmember works outside the undersea habitat "Aquarius"
Mission statement"To see what extreme environmental challenges astronauts may face in space, and to form solutions by using the ocean, as an equivalent environment on earth"
LocationFlorida, United States
OwnerNASA,Florida International University,Aquarius Reef Base
Established2001(2001)
Websitewww.nasa.gov/mission/neemo/

NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations,orNEEMO,[1]is aNASAanalog missionthat sends groups of astronauts, engineers and scientists to live in theAquariusunderwater laboratory, the world's only undersea research station, for up to three weeks at a time in preparation for futurespace exploration.[2]

Aquarius is anunderwater habitat3.5 miles (5.6 km) offKey Largo, Florida,in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It is deployed on the ocean floor next to deep coral reefs 62 feet (19 m) below the surface.

NASA has used it since 2001 for a series of space exploration simulation missions, usually lasting 7 to 14 days, with space research mainly conducted by internationalastronauts.The mission had cost about 500 million U.S. dollars. The crew members are calledaquanauts(as they live underwater at depth pressure for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to the surface), and they performEVAsin the underwater environment.[2]A technique known assaturation divingallows the aquanauts to live and work underwater for days or weeks at a time. After twenty four hours underwater at any depth, the human body becomes saturated with dissolved gas. With saturation diving, divers can accurately predict exactly how much time they need to decompress before returning to the surface. This information limits the risk ofdecompression sickness.By living in the Aquarius habitat and working at the same depth on the ocean floor, NEEMO crews are able to remain underwater for the duration of their mission.

For NASA, the Aquarius habitat and its surroundings provide a convincing analog for space exploration.[2] Much like space, the undersea world is a hostile, alien place for humans to live. NEEMO crew members experience some of the same challenges there that they would on a distant asteroid, planet (i.e. Mars) or Moon. During NEEMO missions, the aquanauts are able to simulate living on a spacecraft and test spacewalk techniques for future space missions. Working in space and underwater environments requires extensive planning and sophisticated equipment. The underwater condition has the additional benefit of allowing NASA to "weight" the aquanauts to simulate different gravity environments.[3]

Until 2012, Aquarius was owned by theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) and operated by theNational Undersea Research Center(NURC) at theUniversity of North Carolina–Wilmingtonas amarine biologystudy base.

Since 2013, Aquarius is owned byFlorida International University(FIU).[4]As part of the FIU Marine Education and Research Initiative, the Medina Aquarius Program is dedicated to the study and preservation of marine ecosystems worldwide and is enhancing the scope and impact of FIU on research, educational outreach, technology development, and professional training. At the heart of the program is the Aquarius Reef Base.[5]

Missions

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NEEMO 1: October 21–27, 2001

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Floorplan of Aquarius.
The first NEEMO crew, L–R: in front, Mike López-Alegría and Bill Todd, in back, Mike Gernhardt and Dave Williams

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 2: May 13–20, 2002

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 3: July 15–21, 2002

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

  • Byron CrokerUnited States
  • Michael SmithUnited States

NEEMO 4: September 23–27, 2002

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 5 crew members are pictured in the bunkroom aboard the Aquarius research habitat. Top, L–R: Reisman, Hwang; Middle: Whitson, Anderson; Bottom: Talacek, Snow.

NEEMO 5: June 16–29, 2003

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 6: July 12–21, 2004

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 7: October 11–21, 2004

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 8: April 20–22, 2005

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 9: April 3–20, 2006

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The NEEMO 9 crew: Left to right (rear): Broderick, Williams; front: Stott, Garan.

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 10: July 22–28, 2006

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 11: September 16–22, 2006

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 12: May 7–18, 2007

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NEEMO 12 aquanaut Broderick works with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), called Scuttle.

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 13: August 6–15, 2007

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 14: May 10–23, 2010

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

NEEMO 15: October 20–26, 2011

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

DeepWorker 2000submersiblecrew:

NEEMO 16: June 11–22, 2012

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The NEEMO 16 crew: Left to right: Peake, Squyres, Brown, Yui, Metcalf-Lindenburger; inside habitat: Talacek.

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

DeepWorker 2000submersiblecrew:

SEATEST II: September 9–13, 2013

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Space Environment Analog for Testing EVA Systems and Training[44] (NEEMO 17) Designation skipped[45]

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:[46]

NEEMO 18: July 21–29, 2014

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

NEEMO 19: September 7–13, 2014

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The NEEMO 19 crew: Left to right: Hansen, Stevenin, Mogensen, Bresnik; inside habitat: Hulsbeck, LaPete.

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

NEEMO 20: July 20 – August 2, 2015

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:[48]

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

NEEMO 20 mission objective was to simulate the time delays associated with sending and receiving commands between controllers on Earth and astronauts on Mars. Additional EVAs will simulate working on the surface of an asteroid, and the use of the DeepWorker submersible as an underwater stand-in for theMulti-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle.[50]

NEEMO 21: July 21 – August 5, 2016

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The NEEMO 21 mission was scheduled to begin July 18, 2016 and conclude August 3, 2016; however, the mission start was shifted to July 21, 2016 as a result of unfavorable weather conditions.

NASA Aquanaut Crew:[51]

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

  • Hank Stark (FIU)
  • Sean Moore (FIU)

NEEMO 22: June 18–27, 2017

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NASA Aquanaut Crew:

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

NEEMO 23: June 10–22, 2019

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NASA all-female Aquanaut Crew:[52]

  • Samantha Cristoforetti,ESA, Commander
  • Jessica Watkins,NASA astronaut candidate
  • Csilla Ari D’Agostino, a neurobiologist at the University of South Florida
  • Shirley Pomponi, Marine biologist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute of Florida Atlantic University

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

See also

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References

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  1. ^Loff, Sarah (Jun 24, 2015)."NEEMO - NASA Extreme Environment MIssion Operations".NASA.
  2. ^abcNASA (March 21, 2006)."NEEMO History".National Aeronautics and Space Administration.RetrievedNovember 21,2011.
  3. ^Loff, Sarah (Jun 24, 2015)."About NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations)".NASA.
  4. ^Communications, Florida International University-Digital."Medina Aquarius Program".environment.fiu.edu.
  5. ^Communications, Florida International University-Digital."About".environment.fiu.edu.
  6. ^abcdeNASA (February 27, 2006)."Behind the Scenes: Training - NEEMO History".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2003.RetrievedMarch 23,2012.
  7. ^NASA (June 2011)."Astronaut Bio: Edward Michael" Mike "Fincke (06/2011)".NASA.RetrievedSeptember 22,2011.
  8. ^NASA (April 21, 2011)."Life Sciences Data Archive: Experiment".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon October 24, 2011.RetrievedNovember 9,2011.
  9. ^Walheim, Rex(September 24, 2002)."NEEMO 4 Journals".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2003.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  10. ^NOAA (May 17, 2010)."NEEMO 4 Journals".NOAA.Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2012.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  11. ^NASA (April 21, 2011)."Life Sciences Data Archive: Experiment".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon March 22, 2012.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  12. ^NASA (2003)."NEEMO 5".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2004.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  13. ^"Aquarius - First Space Station Science Officer Leads Crew of Four NASA Aquanauts On 14-Day NOAA Aquarius Undersea Mission".University of North Carolina Wilmington. May 17, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2012.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  14. ^Whitson, Peggy(June 19, 2003)."NEEMO 5 Journals".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2003.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  15. ^NASA (August 3, 2004)."NEEMO 6".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2004.RetrievedFebruary 26,2012.
  16. ^NASA (September 6, 2011)."Life Sciences Data Archive: Experiment".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 26,2012.
  17. ^NASA (October 13, 2004)."NEEMO 7".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon October 30, 2004.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  18. ^Canadian Space Agency(August 9, 2004)."CSA - Neemo 7 Mission".Canadian Space Agency. Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2012.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  19. ^NASA (April 21, 2011)."Life Sciences Data Archive: Experiment".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2012.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  20. ^NOAA (May 18, 2010)."NEEMO 8".University of North Carolina Wilmington.Archived fromthe originalon March 20, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 25,2012.
  21. ^NASA (April 21, 2011)."Life Sciences Data Archive: Experiment".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon March 22, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 25,2012.
  22. ^NASA (2006)."NASA's Undersea Crew is Heads Above Water".NASA.RetrievedSeptember 23,2011.
  23. ^NASA (April 3, 2006)."NASA's NEEMO 9 Aquanaut Human Performance Study Begins".NASA.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
  24. ^NASA (2006)."NASA Uses Undersea Lab to Prep for Future Space Exploration".NASA.RetrievedMarch 21,2012.
  25. ^NASA (July 22, 2006)."NASA - NEEMO 10 Mission Journal".NASA.RetrievedMarch 21,2012.
  26. ^NASA (May 11, 2010)."NEEMO 11".NASA.RetrievedSeptember 26,2011.
  27. ^NASA (September 1, 2006)."NASA Continues Space Exploration Research With Undersea Lab".NASA.RetrievedNovember 8,2011.
  28. ^NASA (May 17, 2007)."NEEMO 12".NASA.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.
  29. ^NEEMO 12 Topside Team (May 6, 2007)."NASA - NEEMO 12 Topside Journal".NASA.RetrievedMarch 10,2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^NASA (July 24, 2007)."NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and Crew".NASA.RetrievedFebruary 3,2012.
  31. ^Topside Team (August 8, 2007)."NEEMO 13 Topside Report - Training Week".NURC. Archived fromthe originalon May 9, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 3,2012.
  32. ^NASA (July 9, 2010)."NASA - NEEMO 14".NASA.RetrievedMarch 18,2012.
  33. ^Alexander, Aaron (2010)."Archive for the 'NEEMO 14' Mission".NURC. Archived fromthe originalon March 28, 2012.RetrievedMarch 18,2012.
  34. ^NASA (May 7, 2010)."NASA - NEEMO 14 Topside Report No. 1, May 7, 2010".NASA.RetrievedMarch 18,2012.
  35. ^abNASA (September 19, 2011)."NASA - NASA Announces 15th Undersea Exploration Mission Date And Crew".NASA.RetrievedJuly 11,2012.
  36. ^NASA (October 27, 2011)."NASA - NEEMO 15 Topside Reports".NASA.RetrievedMarch 18,2012.
  37. ^NASA (April 16, 2012)."NASA - NASA Announces 16th Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and Crews".NASA.RetrievedApril 17,2012.
  38. ^Peake, Tim(April 29, 2012)."NEEMO 16 - In search of an asteroid".European Space Agency.RetrievedMay 3,2012.
  39. ^The NEEMO Mission Management and Topside Support Team (June 12, 2012)."NEEMO 16 Mission Day 2 - Status Report"(PDF).NASA.RetrievedJuly 16,2012.
  40. ^Love, Stan(June 17, 2012)."Dr. Love's Underwater Blog: NEEMO 16".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon December 12, 2012.RetrievedJuly 11,2012.
  41. ^Squyres, Steve(June 17, 2012)."NEEMO 16: EVA Divers and Subs".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2012.RetrievedJuly 11,2012.
  42. ^Love, Stan (June 18, 2012)."Dr. Love's Underwater Blog: Mobility and Stability with DeepWorkers".NASA. Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2012.RetrievedJuly 11,2012.
  43. ^Stevenin, Hervé (June 19, 2012)."The NEEMO 16 Aquanauts meet the Men in Black".Yahoo! Inc.RetrievedJuly 13,2012.
  44. ^Garcia, Mark (Apr 13, 2015)."NASA, International Partners Plan Undersea Training Mission".NASA.
  45. ^abBergin, Chris (June 11, 2014)."NEEMO returns with two new underwater missions".NASASpaceflight.RetrievedJune 24,2014.
  46. ^Computing, HySpeed (Sep 16, 2013)."Aquarius SEATEST II – Astronauts emerge from a successful underwater mission".
  47. ^"Hervé Stevenin".www.esa.int.
  48. ^"NEEMO 20 Crew (L to R) CDR Luca Parmitano (ESA), Serena Aunon (NASA), David Coan (NASA), Norishige Kanai, (JAXA), inside Aquarius Mark Hulsbeck (FIU) and Sean Moore (FIU)".Jul 20, 2015 – via Flickr.
  49. ^"NASA Prepares for Future Space Exploration with International Undersea Crew".June 24, 2015.
  50. ^"NEEMO 20 to build knowledge base on delayed deep space communications, Chris Bergin, nasaspaceflight".July 6, 2015.
  51. ^Loff, Sarah (2016-07-22)."Aquanauts Splash Down, Beginning NEEMO 21 Research Mission".Retrieved2016-07-24.
  52. ^Emily Toomey (July 29, 2019)."NASA Scientists and Astronauts Practice for Space Missions on the Seafloor".Smithsonian magazine.
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