Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is adjusting to life in a steel cylinder on the bottom of the ocean, as he takes part in a seven-day underwater mission designed to give a taste of what life is like in space orbit.

Hansen, a 38-year-old father of three from Ailsa Craig, Ont.,  is now living about 20 metres below the surface in a 14-metre long cylinder called the Aquarius Reef Base, to simulate the cramped conditions of a mission to space.

Joining him on the mission called the NEEMO 19 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) are two aquanauts with the European Space Agency, and NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik.

During their underwater stay, they are taking part in several "spacewalks" on the ocean floor, called Extravehicular Activities, or EVAs. The sojourns are designed to simulate the weightless environment of space, as well as the communications delays that astronaut crews experience between the ground and space.

Hansen, whose experience includes flying CF-18 fighter jets, exploring impact craters in the High Arctic, and living in deep caves, is serving as Exploration Lead during the mission, guiding the crew in the planning and execution of the EVAs.

Hansen has been sending excited tweets about his first hours underwater, boasting on Monday that he got the top bunk in his Aquarius lodging and marvelling at the "strange sounds" of the water around him.

 

 

At the end of the mission, Hansen and his crew will have to undergo a 17-hour decompression, to minimize the risk of decompression sickness once they scuba dive back to the surface.