NASA shares photographs of intense training for dark moon missions, leaves netizens intrigued

NASA astronauts get trained in extreme environments similar to that of the moon. Training environments are simulated with the 1/6th gravity, suit mobility, lighting and lunar terrain, as per NASA.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) took to Instagram to share intriguing photographs of astronauts getting trained for moon missions inside a dark swimming pool. The jaw-dropping photographs have left netizens amazed.

“At the bottom of a very dark swimming pool, divers are getting ready for missions to the Moon. Take a look at this a recent test in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at @NASAJohnson. In this lab is where astronauts train for spacewalks, and soon, moonwalks,” reads the caption of the post.

“This was a test with divers in SCUBA gear to get the lighting conditions right, but soon, NASA plans to conduct tests in this low-light environment using spacesuits,” NASA said further in the post.

NASA astronauts get trained in extreme environments similar to that of the moon. Training environments are simulated with the 1/6th gravity, suit mobility, lighting and lunar terrain, as per NASA.

NASA stated that the sun will only be a few degrees over the horizon, creating dark shadows, when astronauts go the moon’s south pole through the Artemis program. In order to recreate the environment, lights inside the lab are turned off, pool walls are covered with black curtains to minimize reflection. Powerful underwater lamps are also used and sand at the bottom of the pool includes specialized combinations in the common pool filter sand, according to the space agency.

The post has garnered more than 9 lakh likes so far. Netizens were intrigued by the post and came up with several queries.

NASA often amazes netizens with stunning photograph  and visualisation . Earlier, in January this year, the American space agency posted an image of an explosion of a massive star.