Astronauts Test Google Glass, Heart Monitor in Undersea Base

A team of undersea astronauts took to the ocean floor last week to test out innovative new technologies that may one day make life in space easier.

The space tech sea trials came amid spectacular simulated underwater "spacewalks" during the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations mission (NEEMO), in which the underwater astronauts tested out a drill for a potential asteroid mission.

The tests included using Google Glass to help astronauts keep track of what procedures to do next in space, and a Bluetooth heart rate monitor that would improve upon what the International Space Station uses right now.

"There's a lot of equipment on board the station that can cause interference with other devices," NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps told reporters from the Aquarius lab, 62 feet (19 meters) under water off the coast of Key Largo, Florida.

The astronauts tried out the heart rate monitor while using a hair dryer to see if that would produce interference, and early indications show that the monitor still works well, she added.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet does a simulated spacewalk during the NEEMO 18 mission, which took place 62 feet underwater off the coast of Key Largo, Florida.

Credit: NASA

The NEEMO mission, NASA's 18th, aims to test out technologies and procedures that would be useful for future space missions.

Those included a drill astronauts manipulated during excursions in wetsuits and helmets, checking if it was possible to use the tool in a neutrally buoyant environment without unduly stressing either the drill or the astronaut.

The astronauts also ran procedures that could work with a five- or 10-minute delay in communications. In these tests, astronauts had four different places that they visited in a sort of circle.

They would sequentially explain what they saw in each location, move on to the next, and aim to return to the first spot around the same time ground control received the information from the first spot and was able to respond. The astronauts would try to accomplish the same thing for the other three spots.

"With a 10-minute delay in each direction, like we experienced today, you can't hold a rock up to a camera and say this is what you what you want," said NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.

"So what we did is we had a circuit of four different places. We went to the first place, we showed a variety of things, and a survey of the general area."

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NASA NEEMO 18 Expedition: Astronauts complete underwater mission

Astronaut Jeanette Epps on an undersea exploration traverse EVA during NEEMO 18.

Four astronauts splashed up from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean on July 29, bringing to a successful close the 18th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) expedition.

"Splashup" took place at 11:40 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

Accompanied by two lab technicians, the crew, commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA's Jeanette Epps and Mark Vande Hei, and Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency, spent nine days living and conducting research 62 feet below the surface in Florida International University's Aquarius Reef Base undersea research habitat off the coast of Key Largo, Fla.

They investigated tools, techniques and technologies that will benefit space-voyagers aboard future International Space Station (ISS) and long-duration exploration missions.

The mission's scientific investigations focused on a suite of studies from NASA's Human Research Program covering behavioural health and performance, human health and countermeasures, and human factors and habitability.

These studies examined such issues as team cohesion and the ability of crew members to perform tasks while working under constraining factors including isolation, confinement, remoteness, circadian rhythm disruption, communication delays and work overload.

Akihiko Hoshide

"NEEMO is about working and living together," Hoshide said.

"Not just the six aquanauts inside the habitat, but also with the entire team on the surface, the support divers, and the researchers. It is a great spaceflight analog in that aspect, too."

"Teamwork is the key to success, and we worked well. I am grateful to have worked with such professionals, who made my work as the NEEMO 18 commander easy and enjoyable."

NEEMO 18 extravehicular activities evaluated tools and techniques for exploration tasks across gravity fields ranging from asteroids, to the moons of Mars and Mars surface.

Techniques to address re-planning of exploration operations to account for varying time delays in communications were addressed.

Mark Vande Hei

"NEEMO 18 was a fantastic opportunity for me to participate in the development of technologies and techniques for future exploration," said Vande Hei.

"That by itself would have been plenty, but on top of that I got to experience life in an environment that most of us don't get to experience as well as enjoy the company of some fantastic teammates, both on the crew and in the ground control and support team."

NEEMO 18 engineering studies included evaluating the use of Bluetooth technology to monitor each crew member's heart rate.

The successful outcome of this analysis will help address future upgrades to the existing suite of heart rate monitoring equipment aboard the space station.

The mission's scientific and exploration objectives were completed.

The extreme environment of life undersea is as close to being in space as possible, thus making such missions excellent analogs for spaceflight. Parallels between life underwater and in space were drawn throughout the mission.

Thomas Pesquet

"I consider myself extremely lucky to have 'flown' this mission with such professional and talented crewmembers," Pesquet said.

"I learned so much by just watching them go about their busy schedule, solve complex tasks, think out-of-the-box."

"Our commander Aki also made a point of always linking what happened down here to what he experienced up there in space, and the parallels were constantly made, with invaluable knowledge passed on to the rest of the crew."

For the crew members, the experience of living beneath the waves is something they will not soon forget.

In Vande Hei's words, "Personally, I'll never forget the womb-like peace of being out of the habitat, diving, at night, lights off."

"The sparks of luminescence that occurred when I clapped my hands or the puffs of that luminescence that spontaneously occurred made it seem like I was on another planet."

ESA Herve Stevenin at Aquarius base

Future  Mission: NEEMO 19
NASA will return to Aquarius on Sept. 7 for NEEMO 19, a seven-day mission.

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik will command the second 2014 mission. He will be joined by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, and Herve Stevenin, ESA's Head of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Training at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany.

NEEMO 19 will focus on the evaluation of tele-mentoring operations for ESA.

Telementoring is when a crew member is given instruction for a task by an expert who is located remotely but is virtually present via a video and voice connection.

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet selected for long-duration mission on ISS

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet has been assigned to a long-duration mission on the International Space Station.

The assignment of the French-born astronaut was announced by ESA’s Director General Jean Jacques Dordain in the presence of the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, Geneviève Fioraso, and the President of the French space agency, CNES, Jean-Yves Le Gall.

The announcement was made in coordination with the international partners of the International Space Station.

With Thomas Pesquet’s assignment, all six ESA astronauts from the class of 2009 will have flown to the Station on missions within seven years of graduation.

ESA Director General noted: “Thomas’ mission assignment concludes the first phase for our newest members of the ESA astronaut corps which was to make each of them assigned to a spaceflight.

“This is a clear demonstration of the reputation of ESA among the international partners of ISS as well as of ESA astronauts among the international community of astronauts."

"The flight experience gained by this new class of ESA astronauts is providing a solid ground for ESA Member States to contribute to further international human exploration missions.”

International Space Station

Born in Rouen, France, Thomas will be the 10th Frenchman to go to space, following Léopold Eyharts who supported the commissioning and first utilisation of ESA’s Columbus microgravity laboratory on the Space Station.

As a partner in the Station, ESA is entitled to use its resources, which include supporting missions of European astronauts.

ESA Astronauts in underwater NASA Seatest adventure - video

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen gives the ‘all-ok’ while spacewalk training during NASA’s Seatest underwater simulation for working in space.

ESA astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Thomas Pesquet returned from Florida last week after taking part in Seatest – NASA's underwater testbed for working in space.

Andreas stayed 20 m underwater for four nights in the Aquarius habitat with NASA astronauts Joa Acaba and Kate Rubins and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

 Andreas Mogensen

The mission was divided into testing crew procedures that might be used on the International Space Station and practising spacewalks underwater.

Each day, half of the crew ventured outside for a three-hour 'waterwalk' as the other two monitored it from inside. In the afternoon the roles were reversed.

During sorties, the astronauts practised moving across different terrains and deploying sensor arrays. At different points along their way they ran through ways of sampling the seabed.

Techniques included a simple inverted bag, a modified 'pooper-scooper' and an advanced pneumatic drill that chips away at a rock while making sure that the pieces do not fly away.

Thomas Pesquet

On the third day the astronauts changed their weights to recreate lunar gravity. "The lunar spacewalks were the best," says Andreas. "It is a fantastic feeling to bounce around on the surface."

In the underwater 'space station' Andreas and colleagues tested hardware that can deliver just-in-time-training on heads-up displays. Andreas used the hardware to assemble and install a miniature exercise device.

Astronauts on space missions must exercise up to two hours a day to stay fit and counteract the negative effects of living in space on the body.

Exercise machines on the International Space Station work well but are too large to be practical for smaller spacecraft.

The new 'gymnasium-in-a-box' was put through its paces during Seatest. The miniature exercise device is computer-controlled to vary resistance, offering a complete workout.

Meanwhile, above ground, Thomas took on the role of flight director and crew communicator. With a 20-minute delay imposed on all communications between the astronauts and mission control, it was almost like not having direct communication at all.

A simulated spacewalk during NASA's Seatest to test and practice moving across different terrains and deploying sensor arrays. At different points along their way the astronauts ran through ways of sampling the seabed. 

Techniques included a simple inverted bag, a modified ‘pooper-scooper’ and an advanced pneumatic drill that chips away at a rock while making sure that the pieces do not fly away.

Thomas, who is a qualified Space Station crew communicator, recounts, "Our communication became more formal – there was less time for chatter.

We had to anticipate possible questions and provide the answers before they were asked."

Diver Down: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet EVA Training

With lights blazing dramatically from his chest, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet descends underwater during spacewalk training at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston, TX. 

Training and support divers stand by, monitoring his movements. 

Astronauts use underwater training on a life-size mockup of the space station as one way to prepare for their mission. 

Floating underwater represents one of the best ways to train on Earth for weightlessness. 

Credit: ESA/NASA