Categories: NASASpace Exploration Technologies

Incredible Underwater Shots Of Astronauts Pretending To Be In Space

NEEMO 15's Shannon Walker (NASA astronaut) does a little dance during a simulated asteroid mission. Credit: NASA

Bust a move! Astronauts make regular trips into a shallow part of Key Largo to simulate asteroid missions and learn about procedures that could be used in space.

The new crews for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) were just named, which means we have more of these neat photos to look forward to. Check out some of the past crews’ activities below the jump.

Briefly, here’s a rundown of the next two missions:

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– NEEMO 18 (July 21, nine days): ” Behavioral health and performance, human health issues, and habitability,” says NASA. Crew members: Akihiko Hoshide (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Jeanette Epps (NASA), Mark Vande Hei (NASA) and Thomas Pesquet (ESA)

– NEEMO 19 (Sept. 7, seven days): “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,” NASA says. Crew members: Randy Bresnik (NASA), Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency), Andreas Mogensen (ESA), and non-astronaut Herve Stevenin, ESA’s head of extra-vehicular activity training.

To read more about NEEMO, check out the project’s webpage.

A NEEMO crew descends to its base about 20 meters (65 feet) below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: ESA–H. Stevenin

European Space Agency astronaut Jean-François Clervoy recreates the first moon landing mission underwater. This was not a NEEMO mission, but still looks neat. Credit: Alexis Rosenfeld

NEEMO 16 during a simulated asteroid mission. From left, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger (NASA astronaut), Andrew Abercromby (NASA deputy project manager for the multi mission space exploration vehicle) and Timothy Peake (ESA). Credit: ESA / Herve Stevenin

NEEMO 16 astronauts do a simulated astronaut mission. Credit: NASA

Shannon Walker (NASA) and David Saint-Jacques (Canadian Space Agency) using a small boom during NEEMO 15. Credit: NASA

Takuya Onishi (JAXA) places seismic instruments during NEEMO 15. Credit: Mark Widick

An unidentified member of NEEMO 14 bends down to pick up a rock. The crew included astronauts and non-astronauts. Credit: NASA

Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell is the senior writer at Universe Today. She also works for Space.com, Space Exploration Network, the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Astrobiology Magazine and LiveScience, among others. Career highlights include watching three shuttle launches, and going on a two-week simulated Mars expedition in rural Utah. You can follow her on Twitter @howellspace or contact her at her website.