News
NASA Astronauts to train for spacewalks in underwater mission
NASA are to send an international crew to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean this month as part of the 14-day expedition called NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 20 (or simply NEEMO 20).
Scheduled to start on the 20th July, NEEMO 20 was designed to help the agency prepare for future missions into deep space and will focus on assessing tools and techniques being developed for future spacewalks across different levels of gravity and types of surfaces on asteroids, moons and even Mars.
According to Bill Todd, project lead for NEEMO, the team is extremely excited about the mission as it represents a big accomplishment to have carried out 20 missions over the last 15 years in the Aquarius.
“Living and working in the highly operational, isolated and extreme environment of the aquatic realm has provided significant science and engineering for the benefit of human spaceflight,” he said, adding that NEEMO’s missions were the closest toward simulating spaceflight on Earth.
NEEMO 20 will be testing time delays that may occur in communication lines because of the distance potential mission locations will be in. At the same time, the crew will also be assessing hardware provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) that lets crew members read next steps in procedures without looking away or taking their hands away from their task with help from a head-mounted interface, a smartphone and a tablet.
Luca Parmitano, an astronaut from the ESA, will be commanding the NEEMO 20 mission. In 2013, he flew in space as a crew member of Expeditions 36 and 37 on the International Space Station. There, Parmitano spent 166 days in microgravity, living and working with other astronauts at the ISS. During his first spaceflight, he carried out two spacewalks.
The rest of the crew for the NEEMO 20 mission include Serena Aunon and David Coan from NASA and Norishige Kanai from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Aunon is an astronaut while Coan is an engineer for the agency’s EVA Management Office.
Parmitano, Aunon, Coan and Kanai will be joined by two professional habitat technicians aboard the Aquarius. They will be living 62 feel below the Atlantic Ocean’s surface, with the Florida International University’s undersea research habitat located some 6.2 miles off Florida’s Key Largo coast.
Source: www.techtimes.com
Blogs
Four opportunities to go pro in 2024 with Dive Friends Bonaire
Dive Friends teaches the Instructor Development Course (IDC) several times a year to students who are eager to share their passion for diving with the world.
Dive Friends is known for the personal approach throughout the course. Their in-house course director will lead the students through every essential step, mentoring them to achieve their fullest potential as a dive instructor.
Applications for the following IDC start dates are now open:
- 12 April
- 5 July,
- 20 September
- 29 November
Partnership with Casita Palma
If the student opts for the IDC-Deluxe or IDC-Supreme package, their accommodation will be arranged for them at Casita Palma. This small and quiet resort is within walking distance from Dive Friends Bonaire’s main dive shop location and has everything you need to relax after an intense day of IDC training. Breakfast is included, so the student will always be fuelled and ready for their day.
Contact Dive Friends Bonaire’s Course Director Eddy for more information: coursedirector@divefriendsbonaire.com.
Blogs
SOMABAY: Scubaverse Trip Review (Watch Video)
In a video created exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman visits SOMABAY in the Egyptian Red Sea to experience the diving on offer there.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
-
Blogs3 months ago
‘Simply the Best’ – Quintessential Red Sea Diving
-
News2 months ago
Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News2 months ago
Capturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs3 months ago
Creature Feature: Nurse Sharks
-
News3 months ago
Join Lembeh Resort’s Macro Photography Workshop with Scott Gutsy Tuason this April
-
Miscellaneous Blogs3 months ago
Book Review: The Lives of Seaweeds
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs2 months ago
Creature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs3 months ago
A day in the life of Marsa Shagra with Sea to Sky