While on their mission, crewmembers, or aquanauts, will test space medicine concepts, conduct advanced medical technology experiments (such as robotic telesurgery on simulated patients), practice walking on the ocean’s bottom (which is similar to Moon walks), and build underwater structures and collect geological samples with remote controlled vehicles. Their studies during the mission will help future space crews as they travel long distances to other planets such as Mars.

Crewmembers for NEEMO-12 include U.S. astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. In charge of the mission, Stefanyshyn-Piper previously flew on STS-115 from September 9-21, 2006 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, where she and other crewmembers added new structures to the International Space Station (ISS).

The other crewmembers are: U.S. mission specialist astronaut Jose M. Hernandez, who was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2004; U.S. Air Force Reserves colonel Josef Schmid, who is the first NASA flight surgeon on a NEEMO crew; University of Cincinnati physician Tim Broderick, who is developing specific medical technologies to be applied for future space missions; and University of North Carolina engineers James Talacek and Dominic Landucci, who are providing engineering support for the mission.

More detailed biographies of the crewmembers are found at the NASA website NEEMO.

Their submerged habitat (or innerspace station) is called Aquarius Underwater Laboratory, which is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Aquarius is operated by the National Undersea Research Center (University of North Carolina at Wilmington).

As a marine biology study base, Aquarius operates 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) off Key Largo, Florida, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It is deployed next to deep coral reefs at a depth of 62 feet (19 meters) below the surface. Aquarius is similar in size to the living quarters aboard the Space Station, with a length of about 45 feet and diameter of 13 feet.

Today, Aquarius is the world’s only permanently operating underwater habitat and laboratory.

This is the twelfth mission of NEEMO. The series of undersea missions of NEEMO started in 2001 by NASA. The NOAA website for NEEMO is found at: http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/.

For more information about NEEMO, go to the University of North Carolina (Wilmington) website at: http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/2007/05_2007/neemo12.pdf.

{moscomment}