This will be the sixth NASA mission to Aquarius to practice long-duration life in space. It will study life in extreme environments in support of future human exploration beyond Earth orbit, evaluate equipment that may be used on the ISS and perform scientific research on the human body and coral reefs. The crew also will build undersea structures to simulate ISS assembly.

As the current NEEMO “aquanauts” conduct their mission, a former Aquarius aquanaut is living on the Space Station. Mike Fincke arrived April 21 for a six-month tour as Expedition 9 flight engineer and NASA science officer. Schedulers for both crews are looking for a ship-to-ship conversation opportunity.

“NEEMO is not a simulation. It’s a real mission with real risks in a hazardous environment. If we’re going to send humans back to the Moon and on to Mars, we’re going to need economical ways to get our feet wet here on Earth,” said NEEMO 6 Mission Director Marc Reagan. “With NEEMO we have an analog of such high fidelity that we can field-test equipment and procedures before we try them in space. On this mission we’ll focus on exercise equipment, anti-microbial technology and wireless tracking technology that are likely to be found on the Space Station in the near future,” he added.

Aquarius is the world’s only underwater habitat and research laboratory. The 45-foot long, 13-foot diameter complex is three miles off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It rests about 62 feet beneath the surface.

A buoy on the surface that provides power, life support and communications capabilities supports Aquarius. A shore-based mission control for the Aquarius laboratory in Florida and a control room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, known as the Exploration Planning Operations Center, will monitor the crew’s activities.

In addition to research and construction, the NEEMO crew will participate in six educational videoconferences and one webcast/web chat. Students across the U.S. will have the opportunity to participate in these events.

Video to accompany this release will air on NASA Television as part of the NASA Video File. NASA TV is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.

The crew’s schedule includes opportunities for media interviews during the undersea mission. Reporters should contact the Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281/483-5111.