Cosmonaut Nikolai Tikhonov on his way back to Earth's surface after spending six days underground as part of ESA's CAVES course.
CAVES, an abbreviation of Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising
human behaviour and performance Skills, prepares astronauts to work safely
and effectively and solve problems as a multicultural team while exploring
uncharted areas using space procedures.
Credits: ESA–V. Crobu
The international team of astronauts taking part in ESA’s caving
adventure have returned to Earth after spending six days underground.
The voyage to the surface of our planet took them five hours from
basecamp.
CAVES gives astronauts a taste of working as a safe and effective team during long spaceflights. In particular, they can hone their leadership and group skills while working in a typical multicultural team found on the International Space Station.
CAVES gives astronauts a taste of working as a safe and effective team during long spaceflights. In particular, they can hone their leadership and group skills while working in a typical multicultural team found on the International Space Station.
CAVES, an abbreviation of Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and
Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills, prepares astronauts
to work safely and effectively and solve problems as a multicultural
team while exploring uncharted areas using space procedures.
Credits: ESA–V. Crobu
Course designer Loredana Bessone explains the similarities of caving and
working in space: “The ‘cavenauts’ have to adapt to a completely new
environment. Working and living underground is both physically and
mentally demanding.”
Space protocols were used in the course: “Cavewalking is similar to a
spacewalk. You have to pay continuous attention to the correct use of
tools and safety protocols, to the progression path and to obstacles,
which correspond to No Touch Zones and Keep Out Zones on the Space
Station.”
CAVES is the first behavioural course to involve astronauts from all
partners of the International Space Station. Astronauts from USA, Japan,
Canada, Russia and Denmark participated this year.
From left: Roscosmos’ cosmonaut Nikolai Tikhonov, David Saint-Jacques
from the Canadian Space Agency, NASA’s Drew Feustel, ESA astronaut
Andreas Mogensen, JAXA’s Soichi Noguchi and Mike Fincke from USA.
An international crew of six astronauts are training for a caving
adventure designed to prepare them for spaceflight. There are many
similarities to spaceflight such as a lack of day–night cycle, sensory
deprivation, minimal hygiene and the necessity to work as a team and
solve problems together.
After a week of training they entered the caves to spend six days living and working underground.
Credits: ESA–V. Crobu
Apart from exploring and surveying parts of the caves, the astronauts
also conducted speleological research: cave meteorology, geology,
biology and microbiology.
They set traps and collected specimens of underground life, which have now been forwarded to specialists for further analysis.
CAVES 2012 crew tested communication equipment on loan from CNSAS, the
Italian alpine and speleological rescue organisation that ensured course
safety.
CAVES, an abbreviation of Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and
Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills, prepares astronauts
to work safely and effectively and solve problems as a multicultural
team while exploring uncharted areas using space procedures.
Credits: ESA–V. Crobu
The communication equipment allowed for wireless contact between the exploring team and the mission control team on ground.
As the equipment worked well, the team is hopeful that next year it can be used to explore more areas while keeping in constant communication with basecamp.
"Like walking in an underground wonderland," remarked NASA astronaut
Mike Fincke when underground in the Sa Grutta caves in Sardinia, Italy,
for ESA's CAVES training course.
CAVES, an abbreviation of Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and
Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills, prepares astronauts
to work safely and effectively and solve problems as a multicultural
team while exploring uncharted areas using space procedures.
Credits: ESA–V. Crobu
This year the astronauts explored further than the CAVES 2011 team and
discovered what NASA astronaut Mike Fincke described as an underground
“wonderland.”
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen is very positive about the course: “CAVES
is perhaps the most physically demanding astronaut training that I have
taken part in, and perhaps also the most rewarding.
“To complete the training, our crew had to work together effectively and efficiently as a team, which we did.
“All in all, it was a fantastic and unique experience.”
http://youtu.be/IbkOATeFOwEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL82620719A0574519&feature=player_embedded&v=IbkOATeFOwE
European Space Agency(ESA)
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
ayabaca@gmail.com
ayabaca@hotmail.com
ayabaca@yahoo.com
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