O mergulho faz parte de uma série de habilidades para quem busca a carreira astronáutica. Por quê?
A água é cerca de 800 vezes mais densa que o ar, o que dificulta a movimentação subaquática, exigindo além de mais esforço, uma movimentação mais lenta para evitar fadiga que pode levar mergulhadores inexperientes a até abortar o mergulho.
Além disso, a flutuabilidade neutra, ou seja, a capacidade de "boiar" na água permite que o praticante tenha a sensação semelhante à da microgravidade.

Para fazer uso da flutuabilidade neutra como treinamento, as agências espaciais têm usado, ao longo dos anos, laboratórios subaquáticos como o NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory), localizado em Houston, no Texas, Estados Unidos e que faz parte do complexo da NASA. Segundo a NASA, possui 61,21 metros de comprimento, 30,90 de largura e 12,12 metros de profundidade e permite treinamentos como caminhadas espaciais, comunicação e segurança, além de permitir testes com equipamentos de vídeo e trajes espaciais.

Na ESA (Agência Espacial Europeia), em Colônia, Alemanha, os astronautas são certificados no nível de mergulhadores de resgate. Esse conhecimento, segundo a ESA, permite melhor desempenho dos astronautas nas caminhadas espaciais e permite que previnam problemas e saibam lidar com emergências de modo adequado.
De acordo com a NASA, os astronautas utilizam nitrox (mistura de nitrogênio com uma porcentagem maior de oxigênio, também conhecido como ar enriquecido no mergulho) durante as sessões de treinamento no NBL.
No mergulho dependente saturado não há perda de ar, nem se solta bolhas, como ocorre no mergulho recreativo. Todo o material exalado durante um mergulho saturado, que pode ir até 320 metros de profundidade, é recaptado, reciclado, para depois ser usado novamente na respiração. Isso ocorre porque o gás em questão, além do oxigênio, é o hélio,  que tem um custo bastante elevado.

​Alguns filmes de grande bilheteria, como Armageddon (1998) do diretor Michael Bay, já se aproximaram do tema de usar plataformas de petróleo como referência de um universo remoto; esse é um outro ponto importante em que se associa o uso do mergulho no treinamento de astronautas: o isolamento social e físico.
Debaixo d'água usa-se comunicação por meio de sinais padronizados mundialmente e segue-se protocolos simples e claros para a comunicação não verbal. Os equipamentos de astronautas e mergulhadores profissionais profundos possuem fonia, ou seja, um equipamento que permite a comunicação oral.
Em situações extremas, no entanto, quando a fonia se rompe ou há interferências impossibilitando a comunicação, a comunicação não-oral ainda se mostra importante, como podemos observar em uma cena de extremo stress do filme baseado em fatos reais, Last Breath (2019), em que um mergulhador profissional se vê sozinho no fundo do Mar do Norte sem suprimento de ar aos 90 metros de profundidade.
​O filme reflete também mais uma equivalência utilizada durante os treinamentos de mergulho nos de astronáutica: o preparo mental.

Our thanks go to space enthusiast Ermis Divinis, aged 11, who used his digital media skills to create this fun summary of the Mars rovers, which have provided the scientific community with so much valuable data about the Red Planet. Enjoy!

​Warsaw, 4-6 March 2022
25 students, divided into interdisciplinary groups, begin working on the project of five Martian colonies. They include representatives of geology, law, architecture, design, and culture. Supported by mentors, they try to find answers to the following question: What location on Mars will be the most appropriate for their colony, considering the possibility of easy landing and take-off, access to a water source, as well as the scientific and soil-forming potential of the area?
In terms of architecture and design, they must remember about the impact of temperature, sandstorms, harmful radiation, and meteorite strikes, but also make sure the colonies are self-sufficient and provide shelter for thousands of people. Also in the spotlight are such important questions as: How will our senses react on Mars? What do we, as humans, need to survive in an extreme environment?
The Mars Colony Hackathon participants also discuss whether they want to transfer to Mars the current Earth culture as well as the economic and political status quo, or... on the contrary? Should they take the current trends in sustainability, climate change, inequality, diversity, and the impact of technology on people into account? What values, traditions and rituals will accompany them?

Warsaw, 6 March 2022
We are going back to Earth. There is a war going on across our eastern border and climate change brings us intense winds, rains, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions...
Some people question the sense of organising such design and humanist workshops or hackathons. But maybe travelling to Mars in our imagination will help us see and express what we do not like here on Earth, change the things that should be changed or even adopt a completely different approach to things we know? Is it not thanks to our dreams and imagination that we are able to look into the future and create the world we want to live in? Not only on Mars, but also here on our planet Earth...

The Mars Colony Hackathon was organised by the US Embassy and ​​the European Space Foundation in cooperation with the Polish Space Agency and Venture Café. The workshop took place on 4-6 March 2022 at the Cambridge Innovation Centre in Warsaw.

Congratulations to the winning team members: MONADA – Julia Jeka, Karolina Kruszewska, Tomasz Leonik, Oliwia Mandrela and Kamil Serafin.
*Blog also published on the European Space Foundation website

​"Bang bang bang, bang bang," there was a knocking sound from the water.
This is an 18-foot-deep pool in the diving hall of Nanning City Gymnasium in Guangxi. Two PECA (Planet Expedition Command Academy) trainees: Hannah and Selina, wearing scuba diving gear, are stitching together a satellite model underwater, which is designed with PVC pipes of different colours that are removable and can be spliced ​​together. This training involves scuba divers simulating the role of space station EVA astronauts, capturing and repairing damaged satellites. The person under training must maintain neutral buoyancy during the whole process and retain sober analytical and hands-on ability under the conditions of maintaining air consumption, completing the assembly of the satellite model and bringing it out of the water.

Hannah and Selina are mother and daughter, and Selina had just graduated from college and planned to have a gap year. The pair chose to participate in the 3-month PECA general training course. The scene just described was their training subject for PECA's second physical space, Ocean Planet: astronauts completing space missions in a simulated weightless state. They started from scratch and had already successfully completed the first physical space: Earth-Mountain Exploration, in which they completed a 10-day cross-country horseback trek on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and finally entered Tibet on horseback, after completing 235 kilometres of horseback riding.

Finally they arrived in Guangxi, China and experienced a lot of confined water training, cave diving, to adapt to the exploration of the underwater world, and simulate future space travel. ​Selina had no previous experience with such a wide range of different exploration types, and when asked if she worried about whether she would be up to the challenges of the training, she said: "I chose to take this step, that is, I chose to face the unknown changes."

The PECA curriculum has been seeking a path that connects the ordinary person at one end, with at the other end the coming age of great sailing for civilian space exploration (see also previous blog).

Space exploration in the minds of most people is a national strategy, a game for a few people financially supported by the government, and super-rich people. Several of my friends have asked me a similar question, a pointed question:
"How do you think that space travel can become a majority movement in the future? How is their training program different from official astronauts?"
Allow me to start with a story.
Fifteen years ago, I rode a mountain bike alone from the Ger-mud area of ​​Qinghai to Lhasa, Tibet, and then continued on until I reached the base camp of Mount Everest. This is the highest road in the world. My journey lasted 40 days,  was 2200km and ended at the highest altitude of the Everest Base Camp. I later wrote a book "Through Your Eyes, See My Soul - 40 Days of Everest Ride". Some readers asked me the same question:
"What is the most important prerequisite for a beginner who will ride the Qinghai-Tibet line? Sufficient money or physical reserves?"
After thinking carefully, I replied: Neither of the two you mentioned are the most important, the most important thing is the ambition you have to go, it's the determination, it's the emotion. With that first push, money and other things follow."
Think about it, it took only 66 years from the Wright brothers first successful test flight of their plane to the landing of a man on the Moon!

​Não sou tão velho assim nem tão novo, mas já vivi suficientemente para ter muitas experiências em ambientes extremos e radicais, onde pudéssemos observar a resposta fisiológica do corpo humano exposto a estas diferentes situações.
Em minha história esportiva, trago a natação como base de meu treinamento fisiológico, onde durante anos treinei para competições e depois que me tornei educador físico, treinador, instrutor em salvamento aquático e pesquisador nas áreas do treinamento. Assim, pude compreender ainda melhor muitas reações que se passavam comigo e com as pessoas com quem eu trabalhava.
Como hobby e amante do esporte, fiz parte de uma geração que ajudou a quebrar os tabus da imagem do surf, que era considerado esporte de malandro, e que hoje veio a se tornar esporte olímpico e modalidade profissional.  Nos anos 90, além de ter realizados treinamentos de mergulho com garrafa, na famosa Escola Superior de Esportes de Colônia/Alemanha (Deutsche Sport Hochschule), pude realizar mergulhos na costa brasileira tanto com garrafa quanto com snorkel no Pantanal, em Bonito, no Mato Grosso do Sul, em meio as Piraputangas.

Paralelamente a vida acadêmica que se iniciava, a partir dos 17 anos me dedicava intensamente as lides aéreas, onde pretendia me tornar aeronauta e piloto profissional de linhas aéreas. Foram muitos anos de dedicação teórico-prática, fazendo minhas licenças de piloto planador, privado, comercial, instrumentos, multi-motor, rebocador e agrícola, que me remeteram a algumas centenas de horas de voo e ainda mais pousos e decolagens, especialmente pela operação de planadores, que exigia de mim, como rebocador, múltiplas subidas e descidas em curto espaço de tempo. Nessa situação, apesar de estarmos atuando dentro de uma altitude fisiológica, certamente impunha ao meu organismo um condicionamento físico razoável dado pela resposta hemodinâmica, proprioceptiva, vestibular...

​Nos diferentes locais onde atuei profissionalmente, pude perceber que sou plenamente adaptável a distintos ambientes. Parti de Porto Alegre 1993 rumo a Serra Gaúcha, que além de ser uma das regiões mais frias do Brasil, encontra-se a 1000m de altitude, requerendo de nosso organismo certa adaptação em relação ao nível do mar. Na busca de novos desafios desportivos, inovadores e de interação com o meio, lá estávamos a descobrir nova modalidade que no Brasil ainda não havia ressonância, o rafting que pela primeira vez realizava uma competição no Vale do Paranhana.

​Depois desse período de “treinamento e exposição a temperaturas mais baixas” por 14 meses,  mudei-me para a Alemanha em função do estágio acadêmico no departamento de esportes de inverno da famosa Escola de Colônia, em pleno inverno, tendo que me adaptar abruptamente do auge do verão brasileiro para temperaturas constantemente abaixo de zero e uma realidade climática completamente diferente a encontrada no Brasil, ainda que viesse de uma região sub tropical.
Na década seguinte e com novos desafios acadêmicos profissionais no Brasil, tive a incumbência de coordenar um curso na Amazônia Ocidental, mais precisamente no Estado de Rondônia, próximo à fronteira do Brasil com a Bolívia, onde as temperaturas se aproximavam da casa dos 44 graus Celsius e a umidade relativa média do ar era superior aos 70%, para não falarmos das questões da saturação de litometeoros no ar, ocasionado pela fumaça em excesso gerada por grandes queimadas.
Novas fronteiras acadêmicas e desportivas surgiram e, de volta a Alemanha, tive a possibilidade de aprofundar minha carreira profissional junto à Agência Espacial Alemã (DLR) e ao Departamento de Medicina Desportiva da Universidade de Göttingen. Com ambas instituições, realizei meu aprofundamento cientifico junto aos desportos adaptados e inclusivos. Já são mais de 14 anos enxergando o movimento humano sobre outra perspectiva, seja do ponto de vista das limitações fisiológica e biomecânicas, seja psicossocial, seja das transferências tecnológicas, mas acima de tudo, partindo da percepção de um continuum desenvolvimental.

Novos ventos, literalmente, desta vez me levaram ao ponto mais Ocidental da Europa, de onde escrevo este mais recente relato de experiencia desportiva de minha vida, a regata marítima que, diga-se de passagem, em muito tem a ver com o voo à vela. Essa nova experiencia me remeteu a um novo ambiente, do qual se pode extrair inúmeras reações comportamentais (psycho-enviroment behavior) e fisiológicas, a partir uma vivência que em muito pode nos ajudar na realização de novos experimentos e a entender o que se passa fisiologicamente com nosso organismo nos processos de desorientação espacial e os efeitos indesejáveis por ela gerados.

​The Hydronaut project is an underwater habitat that started operations in 2020 and is currently the scene for analog space research.  Dr. Miroslav Rozloznik, a Flight Planner for the Austrian Space Forum, conducted an underwater analog space mission in 2021 that was fully dedicated to science. The week-long mission, in which three analog astronauts participated, included a two-day underwater stay, and featured an EVA. Scientist-on-Board, Dr. Miroslav Rozloznik from Slovakia, conducted numerous experiments in the areas of physiology, microbiology, medicine, and space psychology.
 
Dr. Rozloznik explained “Conducting underwater analog missions complements Moon or Mars simulations in land-based habitats. While we might not be able to test rovers, drones, or rock sampling procedures, the feeling in the underwater habitat is much more space-like. I felt very detached from Earth, even the support diver appeared like an alien, when he was looking into our porthole, dressed in his diving suit. The underwater habitat also offers the possibility to simulate more complex conditions like long periods of darkness, or variation in temperature and humidity. Furthermore, the ‘psychological safety net’ of being able to open the door and get help in case something happens, is not there. We can leave the habitat but will face several hours of decompression in cold water before we are back in a safe environment.”

Part of the underwater experiments focused on the internal environment of the habitat, gathering data relating to air quality, temperature, humidity, and the microbiology of the habitat. Another area of research was dedicated to the medical and physiological well-being of the divers. Dr. Rozloznik tested novel diagnostic instruments, for example, a remote stethoscope that transmitted real-time heartbeat and breathing rates to a doctor located in the mission control center. Such equipment will be very useful for future space exploration and also has many applications for telemedicine on Earth. The crew also tested various biosensors, allowing for comparison and cross-link between physiological, neurophysiological, and psychological measurements.

​The AMADEE-20 analog Mars mission took place in Israel’s Negev desert during October 2021. Over the course of four weeks, an international crew of six analog astronauts conducted a number of experiments to study human behaviour and well-being; tested technical equipment, vehicles, and space suits; and deployed platforms and procedures in the areas of geoscience and life detection. A further aim of this Mars simulation was the development of a state-of-the-art Mission Support structure. I joined the AMADEE-20 team as a Flight Planner two years ago. In this role, I have been using my project management skills to help prepare and conduct scientific experiments as a member of the Mission Support team. Each experiment can be viewed as a subproject in itself and needs to be managed meticulously.

One major difference between the projects I am normally working on, and this Mars simulation is the detail to which experiments (subprojects) have to be managed. Usually, I plan tasks for my project teams on a daily basis. For analog Mars projects, we have to plan tasks in time slots of 15 minutes. During a simulated and later real Mars mission, astronauts must wear space suits to protect themselves from the hostile environment on our neighbouring planet. As it takes a long time to put on a space suit and as they are very heavy and not comfortable to wear and work in, the time the astronauts can spend outside their habitat is very limited and therefore, very valuable and must be scheduled in great detail. Another difference is the high risk to human life and well-being, as well as to the safety of the usually very expensive equipment. Communication also poses a big challenge. The entire team has to almost learn a new language, consisting of many acronyms specific to space exploration. Simple Earth-words like “yes” and “no” are not used, since they can easily be misunderstood; we use “affirmative” and “negative” instead to express approval or disagreement.
Despite these differences, as a certified PMP® and trained analog Mars Mission Support team member, I am well prepared to take on this challenge. And as a Project Manager, I am of course, very much enjoying to expand my skills beyond Earth and to be part of creating the future of space travel and project management.
 
If you want to learn more about this analog Mars mission, please visit https://oewf.org/en/portfolio/amadee-20/. If you want to learn more about project management for analog Mars missions, please contact me at karin@4CEE.eu or https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinbrunnemann/.

Introduction from Eija Salmi, Secretary General, Cumulus Assoc. & Thais Russomano, CEO, InnovaSpace:
During the 21st century outer space has become a topic for discussion by passionate people in design universities worldwide. Some institutions have piloted initiatives and have ongoing activities in the art, design and media curriculum focused on space, considering how design can contribute to overcoming the challenges humanity will encounter when exploring this new frontier. We know for certain that living off-Earth will bring multiple challenges that require innovative solutions if we are to inhabit another planet. The field of design will be an essential element in facilitating space life, just as it is present everywhere in our lives here on Earth, whether on its own or collaboratively with other disciplines, such as medicine, engineering etc. Design education and research plays a massive role not only for the design profession, but also for business, industry and other institutional stakeholders in the space era to ensure a good, healthy and secure space future.

The aim of this blog today, written by Dr Dolly Daou, is to share knowledge and inspire all of us to rise to the challenges of humanity’s tomorrow in outer space – inspired by design. This is the first in a series!
​Enjoy and please do share on your social media!     

On Planet Earth, we have been accustomed to living our lives conditioned by daily habits; we eat, sleep, cook, work, walk, build, interact according to our environments, grounded by gravity. Culturally, we differ in customs, in habits, we eat different food, we live differently, we speak different languages, however what unifies us is the relationship between our physiology and our topography. This relationship is the result of the universal gravity system and the evolution of beings and their environment on Planet Earth, the Blue Planet. The colour blue refers to the interaction of solar rays with the gases of Earth's atmosphere. Similarly, Planet Mars is known as the Red Planet in reference to the mass of red soil that covers its surface. The colour coding of both planets reflects the relationship between our biological existence and our environmental characteristics, which influence our daily habits and our survival traits on these planets.

The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is scheduled to complete its first space station in the next two years. With its Tiangong, Chinese Space Station (CSS), China has also raised many questions on how its capabilities are comparable and competitive with the International Space Station (ISS) also due to be decommissioned by 2024. The space race is on, and the CSS is a landmark of independent human flight capability that is just the beginning for China.

In the past ten years of research and development of space technology, China has enjoyed various opportunities to be a superpower in outer space. Steady economic growth rate and increase of its GPD enabling government funding are some of them. It has also developed its own national space technology with spacecraft launching capabilities, and its space activities are in accordance with the current international legal framework.
On October 16, 2021, three Chinese Astronauts in the Shenzhou mission entered the Tiangong for a six month stay, its longest mission in history. China has launched 12 spacecraft, plus the Tiangong 1, and the Tiangong 2 Space Laboratory. The country has trained and sent 11 astronauts to outer space 14 times and returned them safely to Earth. The design life expectancy of the 5-module station is 10 years with possibility of extension.