LONGUEUIL, Que. - The first Canadian to walk in space is going to take on a different challenge, leading the next NASA undersea mission as commander of the crew of NEEMO14.
The Canadian Space Agency has announced that astronaut Chris Hadfield will lead the 13-day mission that begins next Monday.
The space agency says the mission will use the ocean floor off the Florida coast to simulate exploration missions to the surface of asteroids, moons and Mars.
Hadfield says in a space agency news release that the extreme conditions of an underwater mission are similar to those of space.
Joining Hadfield will be NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn; Steve Chappell, a research scientist; and Andrew Abercromby, lunar electric rover deputy project manager.
The mission is aboard Aquarius, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration underwater facility.
Canadian astronauts Robert Thirsk and Dave Williams have participated in NEEMO 7 and NEEMO 9 missions, respectively.
