Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature
> Training at Star City's pool
Training at Star City's pool
author: ESA/Novapix
reference: e-rus01-10602
Image Size 300 DPI: 12 * 18 cm
ESA astronaut André Kuipers, from The Netherlands, during training for extravehicular activities (EVAs) at the Gagarin Training Center, also known as Zviezdny Gorodok ("Star City"), near Moscow, as part of the preparation work on the operations of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) for the International Space Station (ISS) in December 2004.
Wearing a Russian 100-kg Orlan spacesuit is hoisted into the pool of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory for an underwater simulated EVA. This facility consists in a 23-m-wide and 12-m-deep water reservoir, with a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters. It incorporates a platform, which can carry up to 15 tons of mock space station modules for training. The spacesuit buoyancy provides a simulated weightlessness for astronaut trainees.
Contact : Stéphane Aubin +33-(0)9-51-26-53-76
© Novapix - All rights reserved