Beth Dickey/J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/5241
Kylie Clem
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
Fred Gorell
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Md.
301-713-9444, ext.181
RELEASE: 07-53
NASA ANNOUNCES UNDERSEA MISSION TO INCLUDE FIRST FLIGHT SURGEON
WASHINGTON - NASA will send a flight surgeon, two astronauts and a
Cincinnati doctor into the ocean depths off the Florida coast May
7-18 to test space medicine concepts and moon-walking techniques. It
is the first undersea mission to include a NASA flight surgeon.
Veteran space flyer Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper will lead the 12-day
undersea mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Aquarius Underwater Laboratory. NASA Flight
Surgeon Josef Schmid, NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez and Dr. Tim
Broderick of the University of Cincinnati complete the crew.
During the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 12 (NEEMO 12),
the crew will conduct a variety of advanced medical technology
experiments, including robotic telesurgery on simulated patients.
"Schmid's unique experience in space medicine will benefit the mission
itself as well as the future development of crew care techniques for
long-duration human spaceflight missions," said NEEMO Project Manager
Bill Todd of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Hands-on telesurgery demonstrations and robotic telesurgery technology
developed and refined within this mission will help surgeons overcome
interplanetary communication lag time. Technologies such as
surgeon-guided automatic robot function could improve the care of
astronauts on future missions to the moon and Mars.
The crew will conduct simulated undersea "moon walks" to test concepts
for future lunar exploration. During these simulated moon walks, they
will construct an undersea structure with the help of a remotely
operated vehicle, similar to what the next travelers to the moon may
do. The crew also will practice collecting geological samples to help
develop tools and techniques for collecting lunar samples as well as
train future lunar explorers to be geologists.
Scientists and school children also will be able to move two remotely
controlled surgical robots in Aquarius.
James Talacek and Dominic Landucci of the University of North Carolina
at Wilmington will provide engineering support for the submerged
Aquarius habitat. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington
operates Aquarius on behalf of NOAA as part of NOAA's Undersea
Research Program. The NEEMO missions are a cooperative project among
NASA, NOAA and the university.
This will be the 12th NEEMO undersea mission. NASA Astronaut Richard
Arnold and NASA Flight Surgeon Sean Roden will serve as backup crew
members. It is the second NEEMO mission including the University of
Cincinnati and Broderick as a crew member; the first, NEEMO 9, took
place in April 2006.
The four NEEMO 12 crew members will be available for media interviews
in Cincinnati during mission training and kick-off events March 5-6.
Media interested in interviews should contact Amanda Harper,
University of Cincinnati, at 513-558-4657 or Brenda Cabaniss, NASA
Astronaut Appearances Office, Johnson Space Center, at 281-244-8860.
Similar in size to the International Space Station's living quarters,
Aquarius is the world's only permanent underwater habitat and
laboratory. The 45-foot long, 13-foot diameter complex is three miles
off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, about 62
feet beneath the surface. A surface buoy provides connections for
power, life support and communications. A shore-based control center
monitors the habitat and crew.
For more information about the NEEMO 12 crew, its mission and
Aquarius, visit:
-end-
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