International Undersea Crew Available for Live Satellite Interviews

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- How does living and working underwater for nine days help us explore space?

Four astronauts who will be living 62 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean will be available to answer that question and more during satellite interviews from inside an underwater habitat from 8 to 8:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday, July 23.

The crew members of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 18 project, which begins Monday, July 21, will test technologies and training techniques for use aboard the International Space Station and long-duration exploration missions. Mission objectives will focus on behavioral health and performance, human health issues, and habitability.

Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will command the NEEMO 18 mission aboard the Aquarius laboratory. He will be joined by NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Mark Vande Hei and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

The NEEMO crew, along with two professional habitat technicians, will conduct this mission in Florida International University's undersea research habitat Aquarius Reef Base, located about 6  miles off the coast of Key Largo, Florida.

To participate in the interviews, contact producer Karen Svetaka at 281-483-8684 or [email protected] by 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 22.

A b-roll video feed will precede the live interviews at 7:30 a.m. on NASA Television's Media Channel. Participating media can find satellite tuning information at:

http://go.nasa.gov/1hKwRze

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and more downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

The crew members will share their experiences during NEEMO 18 on Twitter at:

http://www.twitter.com/Aki_Hoshide

http://www.twitter.com/astro_jeanette  

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Sabot  

http://www.twitter.com/Thom_astro  

For more information about NEEMO, crew members, and links to follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/neemo

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SOURCE NASA