NEEMO explained

NEEMO Program
Mission Statement:	"To see what extreme environmental challenges astronauts may face in space, and to form solutions by using the ocean, as an equivalent environment on earth"
Location:	Florida, United States
Owner:	NASA, Florida International University, Aquarius Reef Base

NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO,^[1] is a NASA analog mission that sends groups of astronauts, engineers and scientists to live in the Aquarius underwater laboratory, the world's only undersea research station, for up to three weeks at a time in preparation for future space exploration.^[2]

Aquarius is an underwater habitat off Key Largo, Florida, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It is deployed on the ocean floor next to deep coral reefs below the surface.

NASA has used it since 2001 for a series of space exploration simulation missions, usually lasting 7 to 14 days, with space research mainly conducted by international astronauts. The mission had cost about 500 million U.S. dollars. The crew members are called aquanauts (as they live underwater at depth pressure for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to the surface), and they perform EVAs in the underwater environment. A technique known as saturation diving allows the aquanauts to live and work underwater for days or weeks at a time. After twenty four hours underwater at any depth, the human body becomes saturated with dissolved gas. With saturation diving, divers can accurately predict exactly how much time they need to decompress before returning to the surface. This information limits the risk of decompression sickness. By living in the Aquarius habitat and working at the same depth on the ocean floor, NEEMO crews are able to remain underwater for the duration of their mission.

For NASA, the Aquarius habitat and its surroundings provide a convincing analog for space exploration.Much like space, the undersea world is a hostile, alien place for humans to live. NEEMO crew members experience some of the same challenges there that they would on a distant asteroid, planet (i.e. Mars) or Moon. During NEEMO missions, the aquanauts are able to simulate living on a spacecraft and test spacewalk techniques for future space missions. Working in space and underwater environments requires extensive planning and sophisticated equipment. The underwater condition has the additional benefit of allowing NASA to "weight" the aquanauts to simulate different gravity environments.^[3]

Until 2012, Aquarius was owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington as a marine biology study base.

Since 2013, Aquarius is owned by Florida International University (FIU).^[4] As part of the FIU Marine Education and Research Initiative, the Medina Aquarius Program is dedicated to the study and preservation of marine ecosystems worldwide and is enhancing the scope and impact of FIU on research, educational outreach, technology development, and professional training. At the heart of the program is the Aquarius Reef Base.^[5]

Missions

NEEMO 1: October 21–27, 2001

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Bill Todd, Commander^[6]
  • • Michael L. Gernhardt Michael López-Alegría Dafydd Williams, CSA

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 2: May 13–20, 2002

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Michael Fincke, Commander^{[6] [7]}

NURC Support Crew:

• Thor Dunmire

NEEMO 3: July 15–21, 2002

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Jeffrey Williams, Commander^{[6] [8]}

NURC Support Crew:

• Byron Croker
• Michael Smith

NEEMO 4: September 23–27, 2002

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Scott Kelly, Commander^{[6] [9] [10] [11]}

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 5: June 16–29, 2003

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Peggy Whitson, Commander^{[6] [12] [13] [14]}

NURC Support Crew:

NEEMO 6: July 12–21, 2004

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• John Herrington, Commander^{[15] [16]}

NURC Support Crew:

• • Craig B. Cooper Joseph March,
• Marc Reagan, Mission Director

NEEMO 7: October 11–21, 2004

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Robert Thirsk, Commander^{[17] [18] [19]}

NURC Support Crew:

• • • James Talacek Billy Cooksey Bill Todd, Mission Director

NEEMO 8: April 20–22, 2005

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Michael L. Gernhardt, Commander^{[20] [21]}
  • • John D. Olivas Scott Kelly Monika Schultz

NURC Support Crew:

• • Craig B. Cooper Joseph March
• Bill Todd, Mission Director

NEEMO 9: April 3–20, 2006

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Dafydd Williams, Commander^{[22] [23]}
  • • Nicole P. Stott Ronald J. Garan Jr. Timothy J. Broderick, M.D.

NURC Support Crew:

• • James F. Buckley Ross Hein
• Marc Reagan, Mission Director

NEEMO 10: July 22–28, 2006

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Koichi Wakata, Commander^{[24] [25]}
• Andrew Feustel
• Karen L. Nyberg
• Karen Kohanowich

NURC Support Crew:

• Mark Hulsbeck
• Dominic Landucci
• Marc Reagan, Mission Director

NEEMO 11: September 16–22, 2006

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Sandra Magnus, Commander^{[26] [27]}
• Timothy Kopra
• Robert L. Behnken
• Timothy Creamer

NURC Support Crew:

• Larry Ward
• Roger Garcia
• Marc Reagan, Mission Director

NEEMO 12: May 7–18, 2007

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Commander^{[28] [29]}
• José M. Hernández
• Josef Schmid, M.D.
• Timothy J. Broderick, M.D.

NURC Support Crew:

• Dominic Landucci
• James Talacek
• Marc Reagan, Mission Director

NEEMO 13: August 6–15, 2007

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Nicholas Patrick, Commander^{[30] [31]}
• Richard R. Arnold
• Satoshi Furukawa
• Christopher E. Gerty

NURC Support Crew:

• James F. Buckley
• Dewey Smith
• Marc Reagan, Mission Director

NEEMO 14: May 10–23, 2010

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Chris Hadfield, Commander^{[32] [33] [34]}
• Thomas H. Marshburn
• Andrew Abercromby
• Steve Chappell

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• James Talacek
• Nate Bender
• Bill Todd, Mission Director

NEEMO 15: October 20–26, 2011

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Shannon Walker, Commander^{[35] [36]}
• Takuya Onishi
• David Saint-Jacques
• Steve Squyres

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• James Talacek
• Nate Bender

DeepWorker 2000 submersible crew:

• Stanley G. Love^[35]
• Richard R. Arnold
• Michael L. Gernhardt

NEEMO 16: June 11–22, 2012

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Commander^{[37] [38] [39]}
• Kimiya Yui
• Timothy Peake
• Steve Squyres

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• James Talacek
• Justin Brown

DeepWorker 2000 submersible crew:

• Stanley G. Love^{[40] [41] [42] [43]}
• Steve Giddings
• Serena M. Auñón
• Bill Todd
• Michael L. Gernhardt
• Andrew Abercromby
• Steve Chappell

SEATEST II: September 9–13, 2013

Space Environment Analog for Testing EVA Systems and Training^[44] (NEEMO 17) Designation skipped^[45]

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Joseph M. Acaba, Commander
• Kate Rubins
• Andreas Mogensen
• Soichi Noguchi

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:^[46]

• Mark Hulsbeck
• Otto Rutten

NEEMO 18: July 21–29, 2014

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Akihiko Hoshide, Commander
• Jeanette J. Epps
• Mark T. Vande Hei
• Thomas Pesquet

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• James Talacek
• Hank Stark (FIU)

NEEMO 19: September 7–13, 2014

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Randolph Bresnik, Commander^[45]
• Andreas Mogensen, Flight Engineer 1
• Jeremy Hansen, Flight Engineer 2
• Hervé Stevenin,^[47] Flight Engineer 3

Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• Mark Hulsbeck
• Ryan LaPete

NEEMO 20: July 20 – August 2, 2015

NASA Aquanaut Crew:^[48]

• Luca Parmitano, ESA, commander
• Serena M. Auñón, NASA
• David Coan, NASA EVA Management Office engineer^[49]
• Norishige Kanai, JAXA

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• Mark Hulsbeck (FIU)
• Sean Moore (FIU)

NEEMO 20 mission objective was to simulate the time delays associated with sending and receiving commands between controllers on Earth and astronauts on Mars. Additional EVAs will simulate working on the surface of an asteroid, and the use of the DeepWorker submersible as an underwater stand-in for the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle.^[50]

NEEMO 21: July 21 – August 5, 2016

The NEEMO 21 mission was scheduled to begin July 18, 2016 and conclude August 3, 2016; however, the mission start was shifted to July 21, 2016 as a result of unfavorable weather conditions.

NASA Aquanaut Crew:^[51]

• Reid Wiseman, NASA, Commander 1
• Megan McArthur, NASA, Commander 2
• Marc O´Gríofa
• Matthias Maurer, ESA
• Noel Du Toit
• Dawn Kernagis

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• Hank Stark (FIU)
• Sean Moore (FIU)

NEEMO 22: June 18–27, 2017

NASA Aquanaut Crew:

• Kjell Lindgren, NASA, Commander
• Pedro Duque, ESA
• Trevor Graff, NASA/Jacobs
• Dominic D'Agostino, USF

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• Mark Hulsbeck (FIU)
• Sean Moore (FIU)

NEEMO 23: June 10–22, 2019

NASA all-female Aquanaut Crew:^[52]

• Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA, Commander
• Jessica Watkins, NASA astronaut candidate
• Csilla Ari D’Agostino, a neurobiologist at the University of South Florida
• Shirley Pomponi, Marine biologist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute of Florida Atlantic University

Professional habitat technicians, Aquarius Reef Base support crew:

• Mark Hulsbeck (FIU)
• Tom Horn (FIU)

External links

• • NEEMO missions
• Live webcams (subject to mission availability)
• Behind the Scenes: NEEMO

Notes and References

1. Web site: NEEMO - NASA Extreme Environment MIssion Operations. Sarah. Loff. Jun 24, 2015. NASA.
2. Web site: NEEMO History. November 21, 2011. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. March 21, 2006. NASA.
3. Web site: About NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations). Sarah. Loff. Jun 24, 2015. NASA.
4. Web site: Medina Aquarius Program. Florida International University-Digital. Communications. environment.fiu.edu.
5. Web site: About. Florida International University-Digital. Communications. environment.fiu.edu.
6. Web site: Behind the Scenes: Training - NEEMO History. https://web.archive.org/web/20030715215046/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/history.html. dead. July 15, 2003. NASA. February 27, 2006. NASA. March 23, 2012.
7. Web site: Astronaut Bio: Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke (06/2011). NASA. June 2011. NASA. September 22, 2011.
8. Web site: Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment . NASA . April 21, 2011 . NASA . November 9, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111024024749/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=212 . October 24, 2011 .
9. Web site: NEEMO 4 Journals. https://web.archive.org/web/20030724124953/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/journals/4walheim2.html. dead. July 24, 2003. March 10, 2012. NASA. September 24, 2002. Rex. Walheim. Rex Walheim.
10. Web site: NEEMO 4 Journals. March 10, 2012. NOAA. May 17, 2010. NOAA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120320230934/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2002/09_2002/journals.html. March 20, 2012.
11. Web site: Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment . March 10, 2012 . NASA . April 21, 2011 . NASA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120322172426/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=213 . March 22, 2012 .
12. Web site: NEEMO 5. https://web.archive.org/web/20041118020723/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/neemo5/. dead. November 18, 2004. March 10, 2012. NASA. 2003. NASA.
13. Web site: Aquarius - First Space Station Science Officer Leads Crew of Four NASA Aquanauts On 14-Day NOAA Aquarius Undersea Mission. May 17, 2010. University of North Carolina Wilmington. March 10, 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20121212085025/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2003/06_2003/expd.htm. December 12, 2012.
14. Web site: NEEMO 5 Journals. https://web.archive.org/web/20030715225822/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/journals/neemo5/5whitson4.html. dead. July 15, 2003. March 10, 2012. NASA. June 19, 2003. Peggy. Whitson. Peggy Whitson.
15. Web site: NEEMO 6. https://web.archive.org/web/20041118020722/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/neemo6/. dead. November 18, 2004. February 26, 2012. NASA. August 3, 2004. NASA.
16. Web site: Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment. February 26, 2012. NASA. September 6, 2011. NASA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120405052632/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=220&string=NEEMO%206&CURRENT_STRING2=NEEMO%206. April 5, 2012.
17. Web site: NEEMO 7. https://web.archive.org/web/20041030061213/http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/neemo7/. dead. October 30, 2004. March 10, 2012. NASA. October 13, 2004. NASA.
18. Web site: CSA - Neemo 7 Mission . March 10, 2012 . Canadian Space Agency . August 9, 2004 . Canadian Space Agency . Canadian Space Agency . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120309030159/http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/neemo7/backgrounder_0809.asp . March 9, 2012 .
19. Web site: Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment. March 10, 2012. NASA. April 21, 2011. NASA. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120405052428/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=243&string=NEEMO%207&CURRENT_STRING2=NEEMO%207. April 5, 2012.
20. Web site: NEEMO 8 . February 25, 2012 . . May 18, 2010 . NOAA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120320230005/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2005/04_2005/prof.htm . March 20, 2012 .
21. Web site: Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment . February 25, 2012 . NASA . April 21, 2011 . NASA . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120322172127/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=244 . March 22, 2012 .
22. Web site: NASA's Undersea Crew is Heads Above Water. September 23, 2011. NASA. 2006. NASA.
23. Web site: NASA's NEEMO 9 Aquanaut Human Performance Study Begins. November 8, 2011. NASA. April 3, 2006. NASA.
24. Web site: NASA Uses Undersea Lab to Prep for Future Space Exploration . March 21, 2012. NASA. 2006. NASA.
25. Web site: NASA - NEEMO 10 Mission Journal. March 21, 2012. NASA. July 22, 2006. NASA.
26. Web site: NEEMO 11. September 26, 2011. NASA. May 11, 2010. NASA.
27. Web site: NASA Continues Space Exploration Research With Undersea Lab. November 8, 2011. NASA. September 1, 2006. NASA.
28. Web site: NEEMO 12. March 10, 2012. NASA. May 17, 2007. NASA.
29. Web site: NASA - NEEMO 12 Topside Journal. March 10, 2012. NASA. May 6, 2007. NEEMO 12 Topside Team.
30. Web site: NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and Crew. February 3, 2012. NASA. July 24, 2007. NASA.
31. Web site: NEEMO 13 Topside Report - Training Week. February 3, 2012. NURC. Topside Team. August 8, 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120509054152/http://www.nurc.net/blog/neemo-13/neemo-13-topside-report-training-week. May 9, 2012.
32. Web site: NASA - NEEMO 14. March 18, 2012. NASA. July 9, 2010. NASA.
33. Web site: Archive for the 'NEEMO 14' Mission . March 18, 2012 . NURC . 2010 . Alexander, Aaron . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120328135239/http://www.nurc.net/blog/category/neemo-14 . March 28, 2012.
34. Web site: NASA - NEEMO 14 Topside Report No. 1, May 7, 2010. March 18, 2012. NASA. May 7, 2010. NASA.
35. Web site: NASA - NASA Announces 15th Undersea Exploration Mission Date And Crew. July 11, 2012. NASA. September 19, 2011. NASA.
36. Web site: NASA - NEEMO 15 Topside Reports. March 18, 2012. NASA. October 27, 2011. NASA.
37. Web site: NASA - NASA Announces 16th Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and Crews. NASA. April 16, 2012. NASA. April 17, 2012.
38. Web site: NEEMO 16 - In search of an asteroid. Peake. Tim. Timothy Peake. April 29, 2012. European Space Agency. May 3, 2012.
39. Web site: NEEMO 16 Mission Day 2 - Status Report. The NEEMO Mission Management and Topside Support Team. June 12, 2012. NASA. July 16, 2012.
40. Web site: Dr. Love's Underwater Blog: NEEMO 16. Love. Stan. Stanley G. Love. NASA. June 17, 2012. July 11, 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20121212064732/http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/analogsfieldtesting/posts/post_1339938072178.html. December 12, 2012.
41. Web site: NEEMO 16: EVA Divers and Subs. Squyres. Steve. Steve Squyres. NASA. June 17, 2012. July 11, 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20121213181014/http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/analogsfieldtesting/posts/post_1339979223707.html. December 13, 2012.
42. Web site: Dr. Love's Underwater Blog: Mobility and Stability with DeepWorkers. Love. Stan. NASA. June 18, 2012. July 11, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120621144157/http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/analogsfieldtesting/posts/post_1340021371063.html. June 21, 2012.
43. Web site: The NEEMO 16 Aquanauts meet the Men in Black. Stevenin. Hervé. June 19, 2012. Yahoo! Inc. July 13, 2012.
44. Web site: NASA, International Partners Plan Undersea Training Mission. Mark. Garcia. Apr 13, 2015. NASA.
45. Web site: NEEMO returns with two new underwater missions. Bergin. Chris. June 11, 2014. NASASpaceflight. June 24, 2014.
46. Web site: Aquarius SEATEST II – Astronauts emerge from a successful underwater mission. HySpeed. Computing. Sep 16, 2013.
47. Web site: Hervé Stevenin. www.esa.int.
48. Web site: NEEMO 20 Crew (L to R) CDR Luca Parmitano (ESA), Serena Aunon (NASA), David Coan (NASA), Norishige Kanai, (JAXA), inside Aquarius Mark Hulsbeck (FIU) and Sean Moore (FIU). Jul 20, 2015. Flickr.
49. Web site: NASA Prepares for Future Space Exploration with International Undersea Crew. June 24, 2015.
50. Web site: NEEMO 20 to build knowledge base on delayed deep space communications, Chris Bergin, nasaspaceflight. July 6, 2015.
51. Web site: Aquanauts Splash Down, Beginning NEEMO 21 Research Mission. Loff. Sarah. 2016-07-22. 2016-07-24.
52. Web site: NASA Scientists and Astronauts Practice for Space Missions on the Seafloor . July 29, 2019. Emily Toomey . Smithsonian magazine.