NASA Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog (SUBSEA)

 

Key Inner Space Center Staff involved with the SUBSEA project:

  • Dwight Coleman, Telpresence operations
  • Derek Sutcliffe, Engineering support
  • Colleen Peters, Mission control support

NASA SUBSEA (Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog) research program was founded in 2017, and the nominal program length is for just over three years. The ship-board team will head to the deep ocean on-board the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus to explore volcanic seamounts at depths of up to 4000m with Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).

The on-shore team will be stationed at the Inner Space Center. Separated from the crew by unavoidable and high communication latencies, astronauts and mission control must learn to communicate their objectives with these communication delays.

The NASA team will integrate their Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS) software with Nautilus telepresence mission support systems, and then systematically evaluate the technology during the SUBSEA field campaigns. xGDS will provide human/robotic software functionality to support integration and visualization of diverse data products relevant to future human exploration of deep space.

For more information and updates, go to the NASA SUBSEA website.