ESA / Portuguese Navy
Tridente class submarine of the Portuguese Navy in operation in the SubSea Project
The European space agency ESA, the Portuguese Space Agency and the Portuguese Navy are using these underwater exploration ships to recreate the challenges of isolation and confinement in space.
Submarines are emerging as a unique research platform for studying human adaptation to extreme environments – from the depths of the ocean to outer space.
ESA, the Portuguese Space Agency and the Portuguese Navy are now using these underwater exploration craft to recreate the challenges of isolation and confinement in space.
The first crew of the SubSea project returned to earth this week after completing a 60-day underwater expedition.
As part of the project, a scientific team from universities in Germany, Italy and Portugal is studying the evolution of stress, state of mind and the dynamics of the crew of 25 volunteers confined in cramped spacessimilar to astronauts on long space missions.
The submarines reproduce isolation, confinement and challenges operational space missions, what makes them ideal to study how these conditions affect crew members and to develop strategies that help them deal with them.
ESA / Portuguese Navy
Crew members of a Navy submarine dine on board during the SubSea Project
Underwater expeditions serve as high-fidelity analogues to test new techniques and collect data to improve future human spaceflight missions, ESA.
To understand how the body and mind adapt throughout the mission, scientists used questionnaires and collected hair and saliva samples. The results will help them detect stress markers like cortisolas well as monitoring changes in the crew’s immune health.
For more than two decades, ESA and its international partners have used the International Space Station to carry out hundreds of experiments, including the study of the effects of space flights in human health.
On the Space Station, astronauts are exposed to microgravity and radiation space while living and working in a confined environment.
The ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensenwho recently spent six months in Earth orbit with the Huginn mission, believes missions like SubSea help them prepare for the many physiological and psychological challenges of space.
“O SubSea It is an essential initiative to understand human resilience in extreme environments,” says Andreas. “Research into life and work in confined environments, whether under the sea, in space or in remote locations on Earth, provides valuable insights into how human beings if adapt physically and mentally to isolation and stress“, he adds.
“These efforts deepen our understanding of extreme environments and play a crucial role in preparing the global space community for the challenges of future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond”, he says. Daniel NeuenschwanderDirector of Human Exploration and Robotics at ESA.
Integrating knowledge from the submarine and astronaut research communities could drive innovation in healthcare in polar stations, military detachments, hiking expeditions, populations living in prolonged darkness and even in mining operations.
The findings could address clinical illnesses such as seasonal affective disorder, depression and sleep disorders.
“SubSea fits perfectly into Portugal’s growing commitment to similar activities and space medicine,” he says Ricardo Condepresident of the Brazilian Space Agency, .
Portugal has several similar terrestrial sites, such as the Capelinhos Volcano and Barreiro da Faneca, in the Azores, and the Selvagens Islands, in Madeira. These locations resemble conditions found on celestial bodies such as the Moon and Mars.
By taking advantage of its unique land and marine resources, Portugal is position itself as an essential research centerinnovation and training to support future space missions, highlights the head of PT Space.
