NASA NEEMO Topside Report — Mission Days 10 & 11 – April 12 and 13, 2006
Operationally this has been a very challenging mission. Along with all our mission objectives, we have been incorporating the use of a lot of new equipment to more fully enable the exploration analog. Among these are the Cobra Tac (underwater navigation device), remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and Link Quest (aquanaut tracking system). All of these need data and/or control connectivity back to the ExPOC (our control center back in Houston) to successfully complete the analog. Of course our computers are a common link here, as the data/control function passes along the Internet through our laptop computers in the habitat. We have had challenges with this connectivity with each of these systems so far during the mission, but we finally seem to be at the point that we’ve overcome most of them.
The aquanaut tracking system is a centerpiece of our exploration analog activities. When we go back to the moon to stay, our astronauts will sometimes be going on lengthy excursions away from their base. Obviously for their own safety, as well as for situational awareness for the Mission Control team in Houston, it will be beneficial to know where they are. Think of an air traffic controller seeing a screen showing each airplane in the area – its distance away, its bearing (direction from the tower), and a little track of dots (called “breadcrumbs”) showing where it has been. This is how our aquanaut tracking system works. It has a transceiver mounted above Aquarius which sends ultrasonic signals out across the reef. The aquanauts and/or ROV are outfitted with a transponder. When the transponder gets interrogated by the incoming signal from the transceiver, it replies with identifying information. Thus our mission controllers in the ExPOC and crewmembers inside the habitat know where each aquanaut and the ROV are with respect to the habitat, as well as where they’ve been. You’ll see how valuable this tool is for the upcoming “cargo vehicle” search…
Last night we celebrated the midpoint of the NEEMO 9 mission, in the tradition of the 100-day parties we frequently have for our crewmembers aboard the International Space Station. The crew graciously planned this in advance as a show of appreciation to their families, the staff of the National Undersea Research Center (NURC), the Topside Team, and the team in the ExPOC. At NURC there was a feast for the staff and Topside Team. In Houston, the families of the crew and ExPOC team gathered in the ExPOC for a ceremonial cake. We had a videoconference set up with Aquarius, and the crew and all present got to talk, laugh, and share the experience together. It’s hard to believe the mission is nearing its end!
Thanks for staying with us!
– NEEMO 9 Topside Team
For crew journals, live webcam views, images and aquanaut profiles, visit:
http://www.uncwil.edu/aquarius/
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