While the end of an era may have come with the recent termination of the US Space Shuttle program, NASA’s plans for the future remain lofty from… below. 

Utilizing the Underwater Aquarius Laboratory, a multinational team from the US, Japan, and Canada is set to embark for 10 days on a series of undersea training to explore some of the problems associated with deep space travel and near earth asteroid (NEA) exploration.  As asteroids have extremely low gravity, the team will test tethering systems used to traverse their varied terrain. 

The facility is unique in its ability to simulate space conditions, and has been utilized by both NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 1993.

Individual members of the team include Shannon Walker, who has worked aboard the international space station, Steven Squyres, who served as principle investigator for the Mars rover project, and astronauts Jack Talacek and Nate Bender, of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.  The university is responsible for the maintenance of the Aquarius facility.

[Nasa via PhysOrg]

Photo credit: NASA