Field trip! European Space Agency sends astronauts abroad to learn about rocks
(2023/02/06)
- Reference: 1675686608
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/02/06/field_trip_european_space_agency/
- Source link:
While astronauts are often engineers or scientists, they usually aren’t geologists, which is why the European Space Agency (ESA) is investing in training to make sure its next mission crew can accurately identify rocks and geological features.
“Today, some astronauts have scientific backgrounds, although only a very small number have field science experience,” [1]said ESA affiliates in a March 2023 Acta Astronautica paper.
Planetary ANalogue Geological and Astrobiological Exercise for Astronauts (Pangaea) is the ESA’s astronaut’s geology-focused training course that preps the future Moon and Mars walkers with field knowledge. The program has been ongoing since 2016 and has trained astronauts from ESA, NASA, and Roscosmos.
[2]
The four-week curriculum includes studying existing sites on Earth that are similar to what will be found during a mission, in hopes that the astronauts will be able to make split-second decisions about the importance of geological features.
[3]
[4]
Now in its sixth year, the program includes on site trips to Italy, Germany, Spain and Norway.
[5]NASA Geotail spacecraft's 30-year mission ends after last data recorder fails
[6]Space mining startup prepping to launch 'demo' refinery... this April
[7]Truck-size asteroid makes one of the tightest fly-bys of Earth ever recorded
[8]James Webb Space Telescope suffers another hitch: Instrument down
“The geology training takes them to the Italian Dolomite mountain range known for its pristine sedimentary layers, the Ries impact crater in Germany, the Spanish volcanic island of Lanzarote, and to the Norwegian fjords of Lofoten to learn about rocks similar to those found in the lunar highlands,” [9]said ESA.
[10]Youtube Video
“Utilizing human explorers instead of robotic platforms to complete these exploration tasks brings many benefits, such as faster data gathering and rapid real time adaptability to new information, thereby facilitating more efficient and effective operations and increasing the chance of novel discoveries,” said the paper authors.
[11]
All these benefits will become much more apparent as missions increase in complexity and distance from Earth. Astronauts will need to work with increased autonomy to handle communication delays in places like Mars and the Moon.
The ESA, India and Russia all have plans to launch missions to the moon and further in 2023. NASA is slated to send astronauts to the moon and back in 2024 via the Artemis 2 Mission. [12]Artemis 3 , targeted for 2025 or 2026, will see a crewed lunar touchdown, assuming all goes to plan. ®
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[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576522007068
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y@EyMX1a@CnI0Zpkiiqg1gAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/31/nasa_geotail_spacecraft_dead/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/space_mining_startup/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/27/asteroid_2023_bu/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/jwst_instrument_failure/
[9] https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Turning_astronauts_into_Moon_explorers
[10] https://youtu.be/31DwDjZ1jpc
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[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/25/nasa_darpa_nuclear_engine/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
“Today, some astronauts have scientific backgrounds, although only a very small number have field science experience,” [1]said ESA affiliates in a March 2023 Acta Astronautica paper.
Planetary ANalogue Geological and Astrobiological Exercise for Astronauts (Pangaea) is the ESA’s astronaut’s geology-focused training course that preps the future Moon and Mars walkers with field knowledge. The program has been ongoing since 2016 and has trained astronauts from ESA, NASA, and Roscosmos.
[2]
The four-week curriculum includes studying existing sites on Earth that are similar to what will be found during a mission, in hopes that the astronauts will be able to make split-second decisions about the importance of geological features.
[3]
[4]
Now in its sixth year, the program includes on site trips to Italy, Germany, Spain and Norway.
[5]NASA Geotail spacecraft's 30-year mission ends after last data recorder fails
[6]Space mining startup prepping to launch 'demo' refinery... this April
[7]Truck-size asteroid makes one of the tightest fly-bys of Earth ever recorded
[8]James Webb Space Telescope suffers another hitch: Instrument down
“The geology training takes them to the Italian Dolomite mountain range known for its pristine sedimentary layers, the Ries impact crater in Germany, the Spanish volcanic island of Lanzarote, and to the Norwegian fjords of Lofoten to learn about rocks similar to those found in the lunar highlands,” [9]said ESA.
[10]Youtube Video
“Utilizing human explorers instead of robotic platforms to complete these exploration tasks brings many benefits, such as faster data gathering and rapid real time adaptability to new information, thereby facilitating more efficient and effective operations and increasing the chance of novel discoveries,” said the paper authors.
[11]
All these benefits will become much more apparent as missions increase in complexity and distance from Earth. Astronauts will need to work with increased autonomy to handle communication delays in places like Mars and the Moon.
The ESA, India and Russia all have plans to launch missions to the moon and further in 2023. NASA is slated to send astronauts to the moon and back in 2024 via the Artemis 2 Mission. [12]Artemis 3 , targeted for 2025 or 2026, will see a crewed lunar touchdown, assuming all goes to plan. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576522007068
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y@EyMX1a@CnI0Zpkiiqg1gAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/31/nasa_geotail_spacecraft_dead/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/space_mining_startup/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/27/asteroid_2023_bu/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/jwst_instrument_failure/
[9] https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Turning_astronauts_into_Moon_explorers
[10] https://youtu.be/31DwDjZ1jpc
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@EyMX1a@CnI0Zpkiiqg1gAAAFQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/25/nasa_darpa_nuclear_engine/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Geologist on the Moon
ComputerSays_noAbsolutelyNo
I guess, at that time, nearly all the astronauts were former military.
Re: Geologist on the Moon
Gene Cash
Yeah, except for Neil Armstrong and Elliot See.
Re: Geologist on the Moon
Gene Cash
Yeah, when Apollo 14, 19, and 20 were canceled, they bumped Joe Engle for Schmitt on Apollo 18 (17 after the renumbering) so they would finally have a full scientist.
Now that Gene Cernan has died, he's the last living man to have walked on the Moon.
Re: Geologist on the Moon
Semianonymous Megacoward
Buzz Aldrin, David Scott, Charles Duke, and Jack Schmitt all walked on the Moon and are still alive. Four out of twelve.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_walked_on_the_Moon
Geologist on the Moon
The only Apollo astronaut to visit the Moon who was a qualified geologist was Harrison H Schmitt:
https://www.nmspacemuseum.org/inductee/harrison-h-schmitt/?doing_wp_cron=1675689989.5584039688110351562500
"The Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 17, the final manned lunar landing mission, Harrison H. Schmitt, a geologist, and native New Mexican, is the only scientist to have explored the Moon’s surface."
It does seem like a good idea that if you are interested in finding out about planetary science and sending people to other worlds that they should have expertise in geology.