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6 Commander |  | | NEEMO
6 Commander John Herrington gears up for a training dive. | | RELATED
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NEEMO
6 Journals
NEEMO
6, John Herrington
Day 10, Wednesday, July 21, 2004
As I dip my
feet in the wet porch one last time, wearing only a pair of running
shorts, I grab my mask, a small "pony" bottle of compressed
air, slide my booties and fins on and prepare to leave the habitat
with a mental dive bag of fond memories guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Our tenth morning onboard was a flurry of activity: packing our
remaining clothing, clearing the bunks of our linens, vacuuming,
wiping down the surfaces with antiseptic spray, and pretty much
trying to stay out of the way of the three hab technicians we have
with us. In addition to Coop and Joe, Roger Garcia came aboard the
day before to operate the habitat as we began the decompression
process. This morning they were meticulously working through a checklist
to prepare for the recompression of the habitat to its storage depth
of approximately 46 feet. During the night, the pressure inside
the habitat slowly rose to sea level. Once the pressure was stabilized
at zero feet, we began a 45-minute clock after which we would rapidly
(roughly 15 minutes) re-pressurize the habitat. This allowed us
to open the hatch to the wet porch, quickly grab the minimal gear
we had remaining and begin a 2-minute swim to the surface. I slid
my mask over my eyes, put the regulator in my mouth and ducked my
head under the water. There was a small ascent line clipped to the
base of the wet porch and we used it to guide us to the surface
just aft of the recovery boat. Every time I left the porch on previous
dives, I was encased from neck to toe with a wetsuit, including
gloves. This time, most of my skin was exposed except for my running
shorts and my feet. As I came around the corner of the habitat,
my arm scrapped up against the structure and lo and behold, about
6 inches of fire coral was waiting to greet me. Talk about getting
my attention! Yow!
The visibility
was tremendous this morning, easily 75 feet or more. The surface
was nearly calm and numerous swimmers dangled from the surface as
members of the next NEEMO team, as well as our surface support team,
watched our departure from the habitat. As we slowly rose to the
surface, I looked back at the Aquarius and fondly thought about
this adventure, in much the same way I looked at the Endeavour following
our landing on STS-113.
Here was a
vehicle meant to sustain humans in an environment in which we were
not meant to exist, surrounded by a medium that does not support
our normal metabolic process. Yet, we have found a way, using the
intelligence that is inherent in our beings, to produce something
that allows us to venture into a world hostile to human life. And
not just to exist, but to thrive. Through the hard work of thousands
of individuals we have designed, developed and deployed engineering
marvels in which and from which we can live and work in extreme
environments for days on end. Such is the Aquarius and such are
the Space Shuttles and the International Space Station. I feel incredibly
fortunate to have spent time in each type of vehicle.
I leave this
experience with a much deeper appreciation for the life that exists
in the sea. It is a wondrous environment full of beauty, brimming
with life, from the smallest plankton to the magnificently agile
manta rays. I also leave with a profound and abiding respect for
the men and women that live and work under the surface of the sea.
Their work is just as dangerous as flying in space and they relish
the challenge just like those of us in the astronaut corp. The folks
at the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) were extremely professional
and their ability to share their knowledge of this environment and
how to work safely within it made our mission a resounding success.
Craig "Coop" Cooper and Joe March seamlessly blended with the four
of us and made each day better than the last. They are consummate
professionals and I am honored to have spent my time undersea with
them.
Working in
close quarters can bring into focus the unique qualities of an individual's
personality. For me, living and working in Aquarius with Wheels,
Nick and Tara was a blessing I will appreciate for the rest of my
life. Their dedication to the team was superb, their technical expertise
was far-reaching, and their sense of humor abundant. Even though
some days did not go as we planned, they rose to the occasion and
met the challenges head on. What we all learned during the past
10 days will serve us well as we continue to train for and support
space flight.
We are living
and working in space on a daily basis. As we continue the process
of returning the Space Shuttles to a flying status, the International
Space Station continues to circle the globe. Every 90 minutes it
circles the Earth. Next time it passes over your head, look skyward
and think of Mike Finke and Gennady Padalka, or whoever happens
to be living aboard at the time. These are the people who are living
on the frontier. And as the ISS passes over the horizon, look deeper
into the distance and realize the vision of exploration extends
beyond where we currently reside. How far our vision extends is
limited only by our imagination.
My best,
John
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