Cavesniping

Participant in ESA’s 2013 underground training course CAVES with the CaveSniper surveying tool.

Exploring and mapping a cave is time-consuming and often involves three people: one wields the instruments, one takes notes and one scouts for the next survey location and holds the target for measurements. CaveSniper combines all these measurements wirelessly and uploads them to a computer for a complete 3D map of the cave.

CAVES stands for Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills. The two-week course prepares astronauts to work safely and effectively in multicultural teams in an environment where safety is critical – in caves.