X

Training astronauts 40 feet deep (pictures)

Most astronauts headed to the International Space Station practice their missions in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab. CNET Road Trip 2014 got poolside to see how it's done.

Daniel Terdiman
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer at CNET News covering Twitter, Net culture, and everything in between.
Daniel Terdiman
uw-iss.jpg
1 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

ISS at 40 feet

HOUSTON -- If you're NASA, how do you train astronauts headed for the International Space Station to work on their assigned tasks in a way that suitably mimics the ISS' zero-gravity environment?

The ingenious answer is with a large-scale model of the ISS 40 feet under the surface of a giant pool.

At the Neutral Buoyancy Lab here, associated with, but a 20 minutes drive from, the Johnson Space Center, that's exactly what NASA does -- bringing in each astronaut with ISS missions coming up and giving them regular underwater sessions during which they can practice many of the steps they'll eventually be performing in space.

As part of CNET Road Trip 2014, I visited the NBL and saw up close how this works, as well as how incredible an ISS mock-up looks underwater.

Please click here for my full story on the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.

pants-laid-out.jpg
2 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Astronaut pants

Most weekdays, NASA puts two of its astronauts through training sessions at the NBL, where they'll spend six hours underwater, each working with rotating teams of safety-, camera-, and support-divers.

Before the astronauts come out to suit up, though, support teams lay out their suits in preparation.

all-the-camera-views.jpg
3 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

All the camera views

In a control room above the NBL pool, technicians monitor up to 21 different camera views of the astronauts' work on the ISS mock-up from in and around the pool.

kelly-gloves-helmet-laid-out.jpg
4 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Scott Kelly gloves and helmet

Mark and Scott Kelly are part of a NASA experiment to see how space affects both members of a set of twins.

When CNET visited, Scott Kelly was slated to be working in the NBL pool. Here, his gloves and helmet are seen laid out and awaiting his arrival to suit up.

orion.jpg
5 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Orion mock-up

A mock-up of NASA's Orion capsule -- which is the space agency's next manned aircraft -- at the NBL.

back-of-kelly-under-suit.jpg
6 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Kelly's under-suit

Inside the main space suit, the astronauts wear a thinner outfit that has integrated components for connecting with the systems built into the space suit.

uw-trainer.jpg
7 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Trainer underwater

Part of the ISS mock-up, seen under the water at the NBL.

camelbak.jpg
8 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Camelbak mouthpiece

Inside his space suit, Scott Kelly had a Camelbak from which he could drink water. The mouthpiece is seen here sticking up from inside prior to his putting the suit on.

putting-on-pants.jpg
9 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Putting on the pants

Astronauts need a little help putting on their space suits.

upsy-daisy.jpg
10 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Upsy-daisy

NBL technicians help Scott Kelly stand up after he's begun to put on the space suit pants.

fitting-on-boot-ii.jpg
11 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Connecting the boot

Kelly locks his boot into place.

climbing-into-suit.jpg
12 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Climbing into the suit

With the help of a couple of NBL technicians, Kelly climbs up into the main part of the space suit.

scott-kelly.jpg
13 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Scott Kelly

Astronaut Scott Kelly, who along with his brother Mark Kelly, is part of a team that will help NASA study the effects of space on both members of a set of twins.

moment-of-rest.jpg
14 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Moment of rest

After getting into the space suit, Scott Kelly rests for a moment before putting on his helmet.

strapping-on-headset.jpg
15 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Strapping on headset

Kelly straps on his headset, which will allow him to communicate with the control room and his support divers.

helmet-on.jpg
16 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Helmet on

Kelly now has on his helmet. It's almost time to be lowered into the water for his six-hour NBL session.

astronaut.jpg
17 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Astronaut

Kelly readies himself for his NBL work.

tools.jpg
18 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Tools

Strapped to the front of his suit, Kelly also has a set of various tools he'll use to work on the ISS mock-up.

hoisting-into-the-water.jpg
19 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Hoisting out over the pool

Kelly had been standing on a platform, and now that platform is being hoisted off the side of the pool and will be slowly lowered into the water.

down-he-goes.jpg
20 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Down he goes

Kelly begins to be submerged.

saluting.jpg
21 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Saluting

Kelly salutes as he goes under.

underwater-just-below-surface.jpg
22 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Just below the surface

Kelly gets his first look of the day at the underwater environment.

monitoring-the-screens.jpg
23 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Monitoring in the main control room

NBL technicians in the main control room watch the work taking place on the underwater ISS mock-up.

on-the-screen.jpg
24 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

On the screen

A monitor in the main control room shows a camera view of the underwater work taking place at the NBL.

on-screen-with-diver.jpg
25 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Another view

Another view of what's happening 40 feet below the surface of the NBL pool.

front-door.jpg
26 of 26 Daniel Terdiman/CNET

NBL front door

The front door of NASA's neutral buoyancy lab.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos