ESA_caves, Training for Space

8/9/2019 ESA_caves, Training for Space

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caves: training for space

INFORMATION KIT

European Space Agency


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Welcome to the underworld 3

Mission overview

Objectives

Key data 4

Location Difficulty levels

Crew

Cave environment

From inner to outer space 6

Why CAVES?

Common stressors

Human Behavioural Performance

Getting into the cave 8

Training

Equipment and food

Expedition activities

Underground science

Critical issues 14

Exploring in the dark

Another time dimension

Communication versus isolation

Do it together

Back to the surface 19

INFORMATION KIT

caves: training for space


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WELCOME TO THE UNDERWORLD

Mission overviewThe bowels of Earth have never been so close to space.

ESAs CAVES venture takes an international crew of

astronauts underground and prepares them to work

under real exploration conditions.

Conceived to teach astronauts how to work safely and

effectively as a team in space, CAVES (Cooperative

Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human

behaviour and performance Skills) is an extreme

training course. The expedition to the underworld

offers a rare opportunity to experience challenges

similar to those encountered during long-duration

spaceflights.

For six days, the cavenauts live and cooperate in a

pitch-black cave isolated from the outside world.

Complex cave systems some of them unmapped or

unexplored offer the perfect environment to put

trainees in space-like situations. In addition to

exploring, mapping and surveying the underground

caverns, astronauts perform a scientific programmethat includes the search for life, as they would on a

mission to another planet.

Many aspects of the location, environment and course

content have been specially designed by the right

staff, an international team of professionals that

make CAVES an extreme yet safe space analogue

experience.

ObjectivesJust like in spaceflight, the successful completion of

the mission requires that the astronauts:

Adapt to living and working together in a

challenging environment

Meet team, scientific and exploration-related

mission objectives

Pay constant attention to safety rules,

procedures and limited resources

Conduct and document scientific tasks

Overcome critical situations

Face logistical problems and their psychological

consequences Get used to the lack of privacy and comfort

Cooperate and exercise their leadership skills

Caves are totally dark - except for cavenauts own lighting. Sending astronauts and cosmonauts underground to survive and explore Sardinian caves is just one element of their long training


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KEY DATA

LocationCAVES takes place in Sardinia, the large Italian island

in the Mediterranean Sea known throughout the

world for its stunning beaches. The rugged, sparsely

populated island contains many complex cave

systems that are an excellent place for astronaut

training. Their scale and variety are immense, with

large networks of both wet and dry caves containing

tunnels that are a tight squeeze as well as

cathedral-sized chambers.

The Sa Grutta cave is in the Lanaitho Valley, within

the Supramonte cave system of the Gennargentu

National Park, a Karst area in the middle of the island.

Karst has a special type of landscape formed by the

dissolution of rocks, including limestone and

dolomite. Caves are a distinctive feature of this

geological formation.

Discovered in the 1950s, this cave system is located

just a few kilometres away from populated areas, and

yet it is immersed in the silence of nature. Its bigentrance and wide galleries tell us that it was formed

in periods of wetter climate over a long period.

Difficulty levelsThe astronauts do not require any prior caving or

climbing skill, nor does the cave demand excellent

physical fitness. However, no CAVES participant would

claim that caving is physically easy. Days are long and

muscles are exercised that are not necessarily used in

everyday sports. Trainees are more comfortable and

get less sore moving in caves when they are fit.

Once inside the cave, the first branches of tunnels get

progressively more difficult and it becomes harder to

advance. Accompanied by a team of cave safety

professionals and expert speleologists (cave

scientists), the astronauts have to set up camp a

few hours away from the entrance.

The caves offer plenty of maze-like environments,three-dimensional pathways, unexplored passages

and obstacles. ESA trainers can make things even

more difficult by increasing the operational and

logistical complexity, changing stress levels and

situations while the crew explores underground.

Participants must manage to squeeze their way

through the small passages of the labyrinth, and

guide the whole crew out safely. Finding the exit

requires constant attention to detail, a sense of thebigger picture and team coordination. While exploring

new paths, the crew creates 3D cave maps, captures

detailed photographic surveys and takes samples of

cave organisms.

CrewThe CAVES crew is typically formed by a dozen people.

The core of the group is made of six astronauts,

selected from ESA and American, Russian, Canadian

and Japanese space agencies. They go deep into the

cave system with safety experts and an ESA human

factors trainer. Their movements through the caves

are followed by a professional media caving team.


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Cave environmentEven for experienced outdoorsmen, life in the dark, cold and humid

underground environment is a completely new situation that presents

interesting psychological and logistical problems. In many ways, cave

conditions may resemble those in extraterrestrial environments.

An agreeable temperature, large galleries and rich landscapes there are many

reasons that make the Sa Grutta cave ideal for this kind of training. Sa Gruttahas a constant temperature of 14C and 100% humidity, slightly colder than on

the International Space Station, where the temperature ranges from 18C

to 25C. The Karst system of the caves promise a few years of further

exploration, and the first designated campsite has drinking water.

Even though it does not have complex obstacles, the Sa Grutta cave poses

challenges to explorers. Venturing down a black pit, crawling through a narrow

sump, or just going into the blackness of the unknown offers great potential

for experiencing the thrill and wonders of real exploration. The unusual

environment turns out to be the most demanding yet most fulfilling aspect of

the training. Participants are rewarded for overcoming personal and team

challenges with moments of unrivalled natural beauty and a well-deserved

sense of accomplishment.

Posing in a cave during the orientation phase of CAVES 2011. Clockwise from left, Sergey Ryzhikov from Russia,

Norishige Kanai from Japan, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Randolph Bresnik from NASA and ESAs Tim Peake


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FROM INNER TO OUTER SPACE

Why CAVES?The cave environment naturally provides many space-

relevant conditions. There is isolation from the outside

world, confinement, minimal privacy, technical

challenges and limited equipment and supplies for

hygiene and comfort just like in space.

The CAVES concept dates back to 2006. After

organising operational outdoor training courses in

combination with land and sea survival skills,

ESA started to study ways to have a closer link to how

space is experienced, explains Loredana Bessone,

course designer and coordinator of CAVES. The initial

goal was to make astronauts work more efficiently as a

team and bear the high psychological stress. While

survival situations offer a good basis to work on, a

strong resemblance to space was lacking.

As a reference ESA took competency models for

aviation training and survival courses from the Italian

special army forces. A test course took place in 2008

where international partners were invited toparticipate as observers. Since then, more and more

situations similar to spaceflight were introduced

underground. The cave stopped being a mere place to

go through it became a real operational, scientific

and logistical stand-in.

CAVES is designed to recreate important aspects as

realistically as possible of long-duration spaceflight

stressors. While microgravity conditions cannot

be reproduced, the sloping and irregular surfaces,limited light penetration, and possibility for

vertical movement offered by speleological gear

challenges three-dimensional perception of space used

for route-finding and orientation. The use of artificial

light in constant darkness alters the perception of time

and colour. The absence of natural time parameters

disrupts the circadian rhythm and lead to changing

sleep patterns.

Safety protocols and procedures also resemble those

used in spaceflight. For example, the section between

the cave entrance and base camp is rigged with metal

cables secured to the rock face high above a riverbed.

As during a spacewalk, participants must use double

tethers to ensure they are securely attached to the

cables at all times, while moving carefully to avoid

snagging equipment on sharp rocks.

CAVES is also similar to some aspects of spaceflight

operations and protocol. Participants must follow

a daily timeline with set objectives, morning and

evening planning conferences are held with

mission control for management of unusual

situations. This encourages teamwork, leadership,

followership, decision-making and development of

interpersonal skills.


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Common stressorsCAVES is not a stress test. The stressors experienced are

those common to all isolated, confined and extreme

environments. Examples of stressful situations are:

getting along with team mates when tired, making

decisions as a group under conflicting priorities, and

maintaining safety in places where rescue is

complicated and slow.

Here is a list of some the stressors that exploration of

outer space shares with exploring underground.

STRESSORS OF LONG-DURATION SPACEFLIGHT*

ESAs HBP personnel play no role in trainee evaluation

so cavenauts can use them as much as they want as a

resource to gain or improve skills. The cavenauts are

encouraged to reflect on key events, behaviour and

their consequences. Together, the cave conditions and

mission design provide ample matter for behavioural

performance reflection. Previous CAVES participants

agreed that the most enjoyable part was both the

excellent camaraderie during the mission and the

exhilaration that comes from exploring a new

environment.

Physiological/Physical

Psychological Psychosocial Human Factors

Absence of naturalparameters

Limited possibility forabort and rescue

Interpersonal tensionbetween crew and ground

Limited exchange ofcommunications with externalenvironment

Altered circadianrhythms

High-risk conditions andpotential for loss of life

Family-life disruption Limited equipment, facilitiesand supplies

Decreased exposureto sunlight

System and missioncomplexity

Enforced interpersonalcontact

Mission danger and riskassociated with equipmentfailure, malfunction or damage

Sensory/perceptualdeprivation of variednatural sources

Alterations in sensorystimuli

Multicultural issues Food restrictions andlimitations

Sleep disturbance Disruptions in sleep Host/Guestphenomenon

Technology-interfacechallenges

* Morphew, 2001

Human Behavioural PerformanceThe CAVES course philosophy relies on the HumanBehavioural Performance (HBP) competency model for

long-term stays on the Space Station. While a

challenging experience in a team environment can be

instructive by itself, structured guidance in real-time by

a behavioural expert ensures participants get the most

out of their training time.

Behavioural experts are part of the team and

participate unobtrusively in the activities. They guide

participants to reach their goals, help them to lead

their first behavioural debriefing, and are always

available to provide objective feedback or sound advice.


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GETTING INTO THE CAVE

TrainingThe total duration of the course is 12 days. Participants

must be mentally, technically and physically prepared

for the cave expedition. Before getting into real action,

astronauts undergo a mix of classroom and outdoor

instruction for four days.

The crew benefits from full immersion into topics

such as how to explore subterranean environments,

how caves are formed or what are the best ways to

communicate with each other. Technical lectures also

cover emergency procedures and the science of

speleology. During the course, they learn to orient

themselves and how to get out of the cave in case

someone is injured.

Instructors refresh practical Human Behaviour

Performance tools and strategies for the astronauts

such as stress-management techniques, analytic

decision-making, briefing and debriefing. Participants

must organize the team and responsibilities, and plan

for logistical needs. Setting concrete personal and

team goals is also part of the pre-cave training.

Outdoor training gives astronauts a taste of the

mission field. On prepared areas, experienced cavinginstructors introduce them to specialised equipment.

Practice of rock-climbing skills such as ascending,

traversing, and descending continues until all

participants are competent.

The cavenauts are also exposed to a complex cave

with multiple routes, and their goal is to remember

the way out. It is difficult to recognise the path when

you turn back. Everyone took a wrong turn at some

point - but as a team we managed to achieve the

objective and a valuable lesson was learnt,

remembers ESA astronaut Tim Peake from his CAVES

2011 experience.

Rock climbing is part of the outdoor training participants


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Days 1-4Preparatory Training

Practical lessons, demonstrations

and exercises, familiarisation with

cave progression techniques, HBP

basics.

Days 11-12Post-mission phase

Equipment return, final debriefing,

peer and course feedback, post-

mission report & presentation

preparation, final presentation.

Days 5-10Extended Caves Exploration

Caves exploration, surveying,

photography and scienceprogramme.

CAVES Timeline


10/2010

Time for individual or group physical activities are also

planned to ensure participants feel well-stretched

and warmed-up prior to the expedition. By the time

they arrive at the camp site they are ready to explore

the cave in total autonomy.

Equipment and foodJust as astronauts, cavenauts travel light. They share

tents, ropes and kitchen gear. At the cave entrance,

participants leave behind any unnecessary load. Like

in the Space Station, underwear and socks are

changed every other day. Three pairs of socks and

three pieces of underwear are enough for the six-day

experience. The crew will wear caving suits and even

special pyjamas. Toothbrush and soda bicarbonate are

part of the basic hygiene and health kits.

No one ventures out of the 10-m-wide base camp

without the proper equipment. A helmet, a harness,

two headlamps and all kinds of caving gear go in the

backpack. There are tools that make astronaut life

easier, such as measuring tapes, laser range-finders

for measuring distances and the indispensable

multipurpose tool.

The menu for CAVES is limited by transport capacity

and storage requirements, just as in space. Althoughparticipants make their own cave-dwelling food

selection during a tasting exercise, diet mainly

consists of dried and canned foods.

Expedition activitiesCAVES gets real when the astronauts enter the caves

mouth. Once inside, the technical instructors lead the

team to a base camp a few hours inside the mountain,

providing supervision and instruction as participants

apply their new skills to various cave obstacles.

At base camp the team is left to set up the tents and

organise themselves. Technical instructors delegate

all planning and decision-making authority to

the teams elected leader. From that moment,

the campsite becomes their home for six dark days.

The daily routine is organised around timelines. Every

day, the team performs exploration, mapping and

sample taking as part of the scientific activities

related to the cave environment.


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Part of the CAVES 2011 expedition poses next to cave lakes. Looking for life, participants do scientific sampling in these clear and drinkable waters


12/2012

Mastering ascending and descending skills while

carrying backpacks full of rocks is not enough to

explore a cave. Mapping is a crucial part of the

expedition activities. Participants divide themselves in

scout teams to find new routes, create photographic

reportages and make accurate cave surveys of the

rooms they discover. At every step, they could bump

into a sump, splash into a lake or find breath-taking

new cave formations.

Technical instructors are always nearby, particularly

during exploration of new areas of the cave system.They can intervene before safety is compromised, and

cave rescue services are on standby at all times.

Astronauts are taken to the Safe Haven, which is an

emergency meeting point, to familiarise themselves

with the area before they set up camp. Safety is prime,

in caves as in space.

CAVES mission tasks include managing supplies and

resources. In the evening, there is a daily planning

conference with the ground support team to ensure

that all personnel needs are covered for the next day,

to report on daily activities, and to make the ground

support team aware of the upcoming plans for the

next day. Space-like operations are applied all the way

through.

Underground scienceScience is a fixed part of the expedition. Like in the

International Space Station, astronauts carry outaround five experiments each day. This number can

increase depending on what they find on their way.

Scientific work includes mapping the area, taking

photographs, monitoring air flow, temperature and

humidity, as well as taking geological and

microbiological samples. Participants test the quality


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of the water, and hunt for pictures of little

cave-dwellers. In the dark environment of the cave,

photography becomes a challenge and helmet lamps

are an indispensable tool to light scenes.

Astronauts are taught during training to strictly

follow procedures. Multitasking and high

concentration at all times are required to conduct

tasks exactly as meant to be. The crew fill in

fact-sheets and tables, write down the description of

the area and collect as much data as possible.

Scientists back home will be looking at details whenanalysing those samples.

The CAVES experience gets participants acquainted to

the methods of sampling. They collect minerals that

are growing in the cave, various sediments, water and

even analyse the microbiology of the air they breathe.

Microbiological contamination from the caving

activities is also checked.

Looking for life is an extra challenge for the mission.

Astronauts learn microbiological sampling and

biological baiting techniques to detect underground

life. Due to the high air-flow, there are no bats in the

cave, but strange creatures and new specimens could

live in this alien environment.

Open traps with food are left in certain spots to

attract animals, particularly arthropods. Aided by a

book detailing around 20 species, the cavenauts must

identify and count their living prey. They also go

fishing for small organisms in the dozens of lakes thecave has. A net allows them to do scientific sampling

in the water and a catch of crustaceans that

specialists can later analyse and identify.

CAVES produces long-term scientific data too. After

installing antennas and an anemometer, the

monitoring equipment gives constant information

about wind velocity and direction, as well as the

temperature and humidity within the cavity.

Astronauts produce graphs from the recorded datathat help scientists understand how the cave

breathes. The correlation between the temperature

outside and inside Sa Grutta tells a lot about its

morphology, and indicates the possible existence of

another yet unmapped entrance.

Going exploring is not only about running around and

enjoying yourself, but requires documenting

everything. Armed with a compass, measurement

tapes and laser distance-meters, the crew must

size-up every passage, produce topographic surveys

and take properly exposed images.


14/2014

Exploring in the darkBeing in a cave is something like mountaineering, but

much more challenging. The isolation, darkness and

the possibility of snagging on sharp rocks or crevices

mean you simply dont know what to expect when

exploring a cave.

Headlamps offer small areas of illumination and

therefore limited field of view. A bulky protective

overall, boots, and cave bag further reduce agility.

The protective gloves used to handle cables and ropes

reduce sensitivity and dexterity, making equipment

difficult to work with and requires special attention to

make sure clips and buckles are properly secured.

Astronauts must be aware of the location and safety

of others to ascend or descend a vertical obstacle.

Only one person can be attached to a cable section

at a time, and participants must constantly

communicate when the cable is free or occupied.

CRITICAL ISSUES


15/2015

Another time dimensionTime in caves passes very strangely. There are few

external stimuli no smell other than yourself,

no sounds except from the water drops falling from

the ceiling of the cave.

The use of artificial light in constant darkness alters the

perception of time and colour. The absence of natural

time indicators may also modify the circadian rhythm

and lead to sleep alterations. As on a space mission, the

daily routine is organised around timelines.

The fascinating experience makes participants reflect

on timescales. As ESA astronaut Tim Peake puts it,

The truly beautiful cathedral-like landscape inside

the cave, with its gleaming stalactites and stalagmites

for tens of millions of years in the making, puts you

in perspective about the short period humans have

been on this planet.

Communication versus isolationThe team lives and works in close quarters. This

ensures interpersonal contact, forcing participants

to confront personal and intercultural differences.

If disagreement arises, solutions must be found.

In a mission dominated by isolation, effective

communication, constant situational awareness,

cooperative teamwork and stress management are

key for success.

Planning sessions are held twice a day through a

telephone line to the support team at the cave

entrance. The ground team can provide information

about conditions that might affect the mission, help

to coordinate exploration and science tasks, organise

a resupply shipment or serve as a means of

emergency communication. One of the hardest parts

of the experience is being out of contact with family

and friends.

A rudimentary phone line connects the cavenauts to the outside world


16/2016

Participant during a cavewalk. Similar to spacewalks, astronauts had to use a strict tethering protocol to move during the long traverse to the exploration area


17/2017

Echoes and sound dispersion in the cave can threaten

the flow of information. In order to effectively

communicate, participants use simple phrases when

talking with team members. Scouts cannot go further

than the distance travelled by voice from the group.

Trailing participants must acknowledge every

message, and must also pass information forward if

the team risks becoming too spread out.

Do it togetherTeamwork is one of the primary goals of CAVES. Before

going underground the crew organises itself and

distributes tasks. The team leader takes care of

organising the crew and the activities of the day,

ensures daily reports and debriefings and takes

decisions along the way. The campsite manager

takes care of inventory, logistics of resupply and the

campsite organisation. One team member is in charge

of photographic surveying while another takes

responsibility for exploration and mapping. Two more

astronauts handle the technical and scientific

programme with the data and samples that are taken.

The crew has to find both effective and creative

solutions to the problems they encounter on their

way. Different cultures, languages and backgrounds

must be in tune to achieve mission success.

Astronauts recall that exploring unknown passages

and having to make decisions on how to proceed are

the most exciting moments. Should they use ropes or

an inflatable boat in the underground lakes? Should

they continue together or divide themselves into

small groups? Above all, they value the friendships

forged between them.

Cave team portrait. From left, Norishige Kanai from Japan, ESA astronauts Tim Peake a nd Thomas Pesquet, Randolph Bresnik from USA, and Sergey Ryzhikov from Russia


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For further information, please contact:

ESA/ESTEC

Communication Office

Tel: +31 71 565 3009E-mail: [email protected]

CreditsThis document has been compiled, written and produced by

the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

2012 European Space Agency

Photo credits: ESA/ Randy Bresnik, Vittorio Crobu,

Thomas Pesquet, Sirio Sechi

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