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An aquanaut comes home: Returning to Earth from an undersea 'space station'
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A crew of aquanauts returned to the surface after a five-day mission at the Jules' Undersea Lab near Key Largo, Florida. The lab sits 22 feet (7 meters) underwater. The mission simulated the International Space Station (ISS) to study life under pressure.
The Jules' Undersea Lab serves as a "wet ISS" for analog space missions. Underwater stations allow researchers to conduct studies relevant to long-duration spaceflight. The commander had previously led 40 simulated space missions.
The crew became aquanauts by staying underwater for more than 24 hours without surfacing, achieving saturation. In this physiological state, body tissues absorb the maximum amount of inert gas for the depth and pressure. The term aquanaut comes from Latin and Greek words for water and sailor.
The mission included research on cognitive abilities and reaction times under pressure. This study is part of a collaboration with the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine at the University of Ostrava and City Hospital Ostrava in the Czech Republic. The crew felt their response times were slower during the mission.
The commander reported experiencing an "underview effect," similar to astronauts' "overview effect." Seeing sun rays through the water gave a feeling of longing and determination to care for Earth. The crew also performed environmental conservation work using an underwater vacuum device.
The commander noted that underwater stations provide valuable analog missions because only a small number of astronauts can go to the ISS. Despite challenges like loud life support systems and plumbing issues, the mission was mostly smooth sailing. Such research will help prepare for long-duration space missions.
