Hervé NEEMO 21

ESA astronaut trainer Hervé Stevenin prepares to dive down to the Aquarius habitat 20 m underwater off the coast of Florida, USA. 

The NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 21 mission began on 21 July  2016, as an international crew of aquanauts splashed down to the undersea Aquarius Reef Base.

Hervé says: “Being a support diver for NEEMO requires us to stay very focused on the tasks to support the NEEMO crew during their underwater ‘spacewalks’ around the Aquarius module.”

The NEEMO 21 crew performed research inside and outside the habitat during a 16-day simulated space mission. During simulated spacewalks underwater, they evaluated tools and mission operation techniques that could be used in future space missions. Inside the habitat, the crew tested a DNA sequencer, a medical telemetry device and a head-up display.