Mission Information
NASA Completes NEEMO 13 Undersea Mission
Image above: The NEEMO 13 crew pauses for a photo in the wet porch of their undersea habitat. From the left are Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut/aquanaut Satoshi Furukawa, astronaut/aquanaut Nicholas J. M. Patrick (commander), Constellation program aerospace engineer/aquanaut Christopher Gerty and astronaut/aquanaut Richard R. Arnold II. Image credit: NASA
Three astronauts and a Constellation Program aerospace engineer began a 10-day NASA mission in the ocean depths off the Florida coast Aug. 6. They tested lunar exploration concepts and a suite of long-duration spaceflight medical objectives.
Veteran space flyer and aquanaut Nicholas Patrick lead the undersea mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aquarius Underwater Laboratory. NASA Astronaut Richard Arnold, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and systems integration engineer Christopher Gerty completed the crew.
During the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13), the crew conducted a variety of undersea "moon walks" to test concepts for future lunar exploration using advanced navigation and communication equipment.
Visit the NOAA Web site for more on Aquarius, including a virtual dive to the underwater habitat.
+ NEEMO 13 Journals
+ Read the July 24 press release
Image above: The NEEMO 13 crew pauses for a photo in the wet porch of their undersea habitat. From the left are Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut/aquanaut Satoshi Furukawa, astronaut/aquanaut Nicholas J. M. Patrick (commander), Constellation program aerospace engineer/aquanaut Christopher Gerty and astronaut/aquanaut Richard R. Arnold II. Image credit: NASA
Three astronauts and a Constellation Program aerospace engineer began a 10-day NASA mission in the ocean depths off the Florida coast Aug. 6. They tested lunar exploration concepts and a suite of long-duration spaceflight medical objectives.
Veteran space flyer and aquanaut Nicholas Patrick lead the undersea mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aquarius Underwater Laboratory. NASA Astronaut Richard Arnold, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and systems integration engineer Christopher Gerty completed the crew.
During the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13), the crew conducted a variety of undersea "moon walks" to test concepts for future lunar exploration using advanced navigation and communication equipment.
Visit the NOAA Web site for more on Aquarius, including a virtual dive to the underwater habitat.
+ NEEMO 13 Journals
+ Read the July 24 press release
Meet the Mission Team
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Nicholas Patrick
Astronaut Nicholas Patrick, who flew on STS-116 in Dec. 2006, lead the NEEMO 13 crew.
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Richard Arnold
Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 2004, Richard Arnold joined the NEEMO 13 crew on its 10-day undersea mission.
› View biography →
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Satoshi Furukawa
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa completed NASA astronaut candidate training in Feb. 2006.
› View biography →
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Christopher Gerty
Engineer Christopher Gerty joined the NEEMO 13 crew as a liaison for the Constellation Program.
› View biography
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Jim Buckley and Larry Ward
Engineering support for the mission was provided by Jim Buckley and Larry Ward of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
