Astronaut Training Division, European Astronaut Centre, … · 2006-11-23 · Astronaut Training Division, European Astronaut Centre, Directorate of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity

EVA Training

T he European Astronaut Centre hasdeveloped an Extra Vehicular Activity(EVA) training course for ESA astronauts to

bridge the gap between their scuba divingcertification and the spacesuit qualificationprovided by NASA. ESA astronauts AndréKuipers and Frank De Winne have alreadycompleted this ‘EVA Pre-FamiliarisationTraining Programme’ before their training atNASA. In June 2006, an international crew ofexperienced EVA astronauts approved thecourse as good preparation for suited EVAtraining; they recommended that portions of itbe used to help maintain EVA proficiency forastronauts.

IntroductionDuring Extra Vehicular Activities(EVAs – spacewalks), astronauts venturefrom their protective spacecraft inautonomous spacesuits to work on, forexample, the International SpaceStation (ISS) or the Hubble SpaceTelescope.

EVAs are among the most challengingtasks of an astronaut’s career. They arecomplex and demanding, placing theastronauts in a singular, highly stressfulenvironment, requiring a high level of

Hans Bolender, Hervé Stevenin,Loredana Bessone & Antonio TorresAstronaut Training Division, EuropeanAstronaut Centre, Directorate of HumanSpaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration,Cologne, Germany

esa bulletin 128 - november 2006 33

Preparing for SpaceEVA Training at the European Astronaut Centre


Bolender.qxd 11/9/06 4:18 PM Page 32

EVA Training

T he European Astronaut Centre hasdeveloped an Extra Vehicular Activity(EVA) training course for ESA astronauts to

bridge the gap between their scuba divingcertification and the spacesuit qualificationprovided by NASA. ESA astronauts AndréKuipers and Frank De Winne have alreadycompleted this ‘EVA Pre-FamiliarisationTraining Programme’ before their training atNASA. In June 2006, an international crew ofexperienced EVA astronauts approved thecourse as good preparation for suited EVAtraining; they recommended that portions of itbe used to help maintain EVA proficiency forastronauts.

IntroductionDuring Extra Vehicular Activities(EVAs – spacewalks), astronauts venturefrom their protective spacecraft inautonomous spacesuits to work on, forexample, the International SpaceStation (ISS) or the Hubble SpaceTelescope.

EVAs are among the most challengingtasks of an astronaut’s career. They arecomplex and demanding, placing theastronauts in a singular, highly stressfulenvironment, requiring a high level of

Hans Bolender, Hervé Stevenin,Loredana Bessone & Antonio TorresAstronaut Training Division, EuropeanAstronaut Centre, Directorate of HumanSpaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration,Cologne, Germany

esa bulletin 128 - november 2006 33




situational awareness and coordinationwhile working at peak performance.

Careful and intensive preparation ofthe astronaut is key to safe, smooth andsuccessful EVAs. Water is the bestenvironment for EVA training on Earth,substituting neutral buoyancy formicrogravity. Preparation is thereforecentred on special facilities such as theNeutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) atNASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC,Houston), the Hydrolab at the GagarinCosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC,Moscow) and now also at the NeutralBuoyancy Facility (NBF) of ESA’sEuropean Astronaut Centre (EAC,Cologne).

During their Basic Training, allastronauts undergo a scuba divingcourse as a prerequisite to EVA training.For NASA and ISS partner astronautsundergoing Shuttle Mission Specialisttraining, this is followed by a generalEVA skills programme at JSC that alsohelps to identify the most suitable EVAcrewmembers.

Unfortunately, it is becomingincreasingly difficult for ESA astronautsto undergo this NASA training. Withthe last Shuttle launch in 2010, theagreement for ESA Shuttle MissionSpecialist training will come to an end.Moreover, the intense period of Stationassembly flights means that NASA’sNBL is significantly overbooked foroperational testing and mission-relatedEVA training. And work for futureexploration missions will only add to theburden.

So EVA skills training will not be fullyavailable to international astronauts. Yetassignment to an EVA depends onevaluating astronauts’ skills early intheir training, and it is important forassigning Station crews and tasks.

EAC therefore took the initiative todevelop the ‘EVA Pre-FamiliarisationTraining Programme’ to bridge the gapbetween scuba training and NASA’sEVA skills training. It better preparesESA astronauts in their initialqualification for using the Shuttle/ISSspacesuit (the Extravehicular MobilityUnit, or EMU), and to provide cognitive,

The objectives of the course are forthe trainees to become able to:

– explain and demonstrate the correctuse of a set of tools and equipment,including the transportation andinstallation of Orbital ReplaceableUnits (ORUs) and the manipulationof connectors;

– perform translation, rotation, passingof obstacles in a typical EVAtranslation path, while wearing EVA-like equipment, using safety tethers orwaist tether protocol (Russian-like);

– perform a worksite assessment, secureoneself at the worksite and perform,alone or with a partner, a defined taskincluding ORU exchange;

– handle tether operations, as in exitingfrom an airlock;

– plan a typical EVA as a ‘buddy’ team,and carry it out in cooperation with acrewmember inside the craft.

The course is spread over 1–2 weeks,consisting of a series of classroom

psychomotor and behavioural skillsahead of the NASA training.

EVA Pre-Familiarisation Training A successful EVA requires psychomotor,cognitive and behavioural skills.Psychomotor skills range from theability to move in the suit, move alongthe Station using handrails (translation)and pass obstacles, to operating

courses, briefings and in-water exercises,scripted to challenge the trainees tothink and perform as if they wereconducting actual EVAs.

The main elements of the programmeare:

– a description of the EVA courseleading up to the EMU SuitQualification in the NBL, to give anoverview of the programme andgeneral expectations during thetraining exercises to follow;

– an overview of the EMU suit,describing its biomechanics andconstraints in water and space;

– a briefing on ‘moving in space’,providing recommendations on thebest strategies for moving in the suitwithout fighting it, for moving alongand around the Station structurewhile allowing for suit limitations andthe Station constraints (obstacles,keep-out zones);

– a practical session of underwaterexercises to apply the movement

strategies. This training is in the NBFtank led by an instructor todemonstrate various methods ofperforming translations in differentbody postures, changing attitude andadjusting body orientations aroundconfining structures;

– a briefing and hands-on training ondeck describing the EVA tooloperations and interfaces to specificwet equipment that will be used in theunderwater exercises;

– the Surface Supplied Diving System(SSDS) qualification, required forvoice communications between thetrainee and the instructor in theControl Room (for details see the‘NBF Characteristics’ box);

– a second session underwater, the ‘EV1Run’, to highlight the fundamentalskills of a typical EVA. It is performedfully equipped for SSDS and wearinga low-fidelity mini-work stationstrapped to the chest to carry EVAtools, a backpack representing theEMU’s Primary Life Support System,

equipment and tools. Cognitive skills areas important, and range from navigatingaround the Station despite the verylimited field of view, to applyingtethering and operational rules.Behavioural skills include situation andspatial awareness, decision-making andproblem-solving, workload managementand efficiency, teamwork andcommunication.

Human Spaceflight

esa bulletin 128 - november 2006esa bulletin 128 - november 2006 www.esa.intwww.esa.int 3534

EVA Training

ESA Astronaut Claude Nicollier takes a photograph during a break from servicing the Hubble Space Telescope

“Together with NASA astronaut Mike Foale, I

was privileged to perform EVA-2 during the

Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission

3A in December 1999. As an ESA astronaut

assigned to JSC for 20 years by then, my

situation was not common: EVA training and

discussions had almost become part of daily

life as one of the major disciplines that had

to be mastered for assembly of the ISS, in

addition to a couple of anticipated Hubble

visits.

“In the future, European crewmembers will

be less exposed to JSC’s EVA culture than

we were. Training in the Neutral Buoyancy

Laboratory will not always be as extensive as

it was, so preparation and preconditioning of

astronauts from partner nations beyond the

US and Russia are going to be a must for

effective transition to the demands of

training in the NBL.

“The preparation training provided at

EAC’s Neutral Buoyancy Facility will nicely

fill that gap. Although without a spacesuit, it

exposes the trainees to enough of the EVA

challenges to be excellent preparation for

NBL runs. Translation techniques, tether

protocols, working under limited visibility and

properly communicating with other

crewmembers or the capcom/instructor can

be exercised. It will give our astronauts a

flying start in subsequent phases of EVA

training, whether using the US

Extravehicular Mobility Unit or the Russian

Orlan spacesuit.”

Claude Nicollier

An ESA astronaut (white suit) performing the EV1 dive in EAC’s tank. He is equipped with SSDS and a mockup of the life-support backpackThe training flow of ESA’s EVAPre-Familiarisation course at EAC


situational awareness and coordinationwhile working at peak performance.

Careful and intensive preparation ofthe astronaut is key to safe, smooth andsuccessful EVAs. Water is the bestenvironment for EVA training on Earth,substituting neutral buoyancy formicrogravity. Preparation is thereforecentred on special facilities such as theNeutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) atNASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC,Houston), the Hydrolab at the GagarinCosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC,Moscow) and now also at the NeutralBuoyancy Facility (NBF) of ESA’sEuropean Astronaut Centre (EAC,Cologne).

During their Basic Training, allastronauts undergo a scuba divingcourse as a prerequisite to EVA training.For NASA and ISS partner astronautsundergoing Shuttle Mission Specialisttraining, this is followed by a generalEVA skills programme at JSC that alsohelps to identify the most suitable EVAcrewmembers.

Unfortunately, it is becomingincreasingly difficult for ESA astronautsto undergo this NASA training. Withthe last Shuttle launch in 2010, theagreement for ESA Shuttle MissionSpecialist training will come to an end.Moreover, the intense period of Stationassembly flights means that NASA’sNBL is significantly overbooked foroperational testing and mission-relatedEVA training. And work for futureexploration missions will only add to theburden.

So EVA skills training will not be fullyavailable to international astronauts. Yetassignment to an EVA depends onevaluating astronauts’ skills early intheir training, and it is important forassigning Station crews and tasks.

EAC therefore took the initiative todevelop the ‘EVA Pre-FamiliarisationTraining Programme’ to bridge the gapbetween scuba training and NASA’sEVA skills training. It better preparesESA astronauts in their initialqualification for using the Shuttle/ISSspacesuit (the Extravehicular MobilityUnit, or EMU), and to provide cognitive,

The objectives of the course are forthe trainees to become able to:

– explain and demonstrate the correctuse of a set of tools and equipment,including the transportation andinstallation of Orbital ReplaceableUnits (ORUs) and the manipulationof connectors;

– perform translation, rotation, passingof obstacles in a typical EVAtranslation path, while wearing EVA-like equipment, using safety tethers orwaist tether protocol (Russian-like);

– perform a worksite assessment, secureoneself at the worksite and perform,alone or with a partner, a defined taskincluding ORU exchange;

– handle tether operations, as in exitingfrom an airlock;

– plan a typical EVA as a ‘buddy’ team,and carry it out in cooperation with acrewmember inside the craft.

The course is spread over 1–2 weeks,consisting of a series of classroom

psychomotor and behavioural skillsahead of the NASA training.

EVA Pre-Familiarisation Training A successful EVA requires psychomotor,cognitive and behavioural skills.Psychomotor skills range from theability to move in the suit, move alongthe Station using handrails (translation)and pass obstacles, to operating

courses, briefings and in-water exercises,scripted to challenge the trainees tothink and perform as if they wereconducting actual EVAs.

The main elements of the programmeare:

– a description of the EVA courseleading up to the EMU SuitQualification in the NBL, to give anoverview of the programme andgeneral expectations during thetraining exercises to follow;

– an overview of the EMU suit,describing its biomechanics andconstraints in water and space;

– a briefing on ‘moving in space’,providing recommendations on thebest strategies for moving in the suitwithout fighting it, for moving alongand around the Station structurewhile allowing for suit limitations andthe Station constraints (obstacles,keep-out zones);

– a practical session of underwaterexercises to apply the movement

strategies. This training is in the NBFtank led by an instructor todemonstrate various methods ofperforming translations in differentbody postures, changing attitude andadjusting body orientations aroundconfining structures;

– a briefing and hands-on training ondeck describing the EVA tooloperations and interfaces to specificwet equipment that will be used in theunderwater exercises;

– the Surface Supplied Diving System(SSDS) qualification, required forvoice communications between thetrainee and the instructor in theControl Room (for details see the‘NBF Characteristics’ box);

– a second session underwater, the ‘EV1Run’, to highlight the fundamentalskills of a typical EVA. It is performedfully equipped for SSDS and wearinga low-fidelity mini-work stationstrapped to the chest to carry EVAtools, a backpack representing theEMU’s Primary Life Support System,

equipment and tools. Cognitive skills areas important, and range from navigatingaround the Station despite the verylimited field of view, to applyingtethering and operational rules.Behavioural skills include situation andspatial awareness, decision-making andproblem-solving, workload managementand efficiency, teamwork andcommunication.

Human Spaceflight


EVA Training

ESA Astronaut Claude Nicollier takes a photograph during a break from servicing the Hubble Space Telescope

“Together with NASA astronaut Mike Foale, I

was privileged to perform EVA-2 during the

Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission

3A in December 1999. As an ESA astronaut

assigned to JSC for 20 years by then, my

situation was not common: EVA training and

discussions had almost become part of daily

life as one of the major disciplines that had

to be mastered for assembly of the ISS, in

addition to a couple of anticipated Hubble

visits.

“In the future, European crewmembers will

be less exposed to JSC’s EVA culture than

we were. Training in the Neutral Buoyancy

Laboratory will not always be as extensive as

it was, so preparation and preconditioning of

astronauts from partner nations beyond the

US and Russia are going to be a must for

effective transition to the demands of

training in the NBL.

“The preparation training provided at

EAC’s Neutral Buoyancy Facility will nicely

fill that gap. Although without a spacesuit, it

exposes the trainees to enough of the EVA

challenges to be excellent preparation for

NBL runs. Translation techniques, tether

protocols, working under limited visibility and

properly communicating with other

crewmembers or the capcom/instructor can

be exercised. It will give our astronauts a

flying start in subsequent phases of EVA

training, whether using the US

Extravehicular Mobility Unit or the Russian

Orlan spacesuit.”

Claude Nicollier

An ESA astronaut (white suit) performing the EV1 dive in EAC’s tank. He is equipped with SSDS and a mockup of the life-support backpackThe training flow of ESA’s EVAPre-Familiarisation course at EAC


a representative helmet, a pair ofunpressurised EMU gloves and bootssuitable for foot restraints. There is avery limited set of tethers, along withdummy tethers deliberately to increasethe likelihood of tethers snaggingduring translation. The trainee has toperform an end-to-end EVA includingairlock egress/ ingress, ORU payloadtransportation to/from a worksite,translation using waist tethers(Russian protocol) and operation ofISS connectors. The trainee mustalways comply with the EVA rules:items and body must be tethered at alltimes, touch handrails only fortranslation, use only D-rings orhandrails for attaching safety tethers,and avoid keep-out zones.Disturbances are introduced duringthe scripted run to exercise situationalawareness, communication skills anddecision-making;

– the third and final ‘EV1+2 Run’underwater consists of a two-memberEVA designed to emphasise teamworkand team situational awareness, crewcommunication and workloadmanagement, in an even more realisticand challenging scenario. The traineesare paired and encouraged to developtheir own timeline and to define thesharing of their EVA tools. Theequipment is the same as for the EV1Run, except that the US safety tetherprotocol is used and the life-supportbackpack cannot be used owing tospace limitations in the airlock. Moretethers are also worn. The rules ofengagement include all those of theEV1 Run plus additional constraintsfor an ORU change-out requiringspecific tools from a toolbox at asecond work site. The TestConductor/instructor, who also playsthe onboard crew role, insertsunexpected equipment failures andunplanned activities, adjusting thescript’s intensity to the crewmembers’performance.

These last two activities are controlledby a Test Director, responsible for

leading the EVA operations andsupervised by the Test Conductor. Bothare in the Control Room, with a MedicalDoctor and a Safety Officer, responsiblefor the well-being of the crew and thesafety of the operations, and anAudio/Video Operator to ensure thedistribution and recording of allrequired signals. The Dive Supervisordirects and monitors on-deck the pre-and post-dive activities of the Trainees,Safety, Utility and Camera Divers,SSDS operator and deck supportpersonnel.

A study guide and DVD package withthe course material, videos of the EVAruns at EAC and additional referencedocumentation and EVA skilldemonstration videos, as well ascomputer-based training material, isgiven to the trainees upon coursecompletion.

During the past 2 years the NeutralBuoyancy Facility and its operationshave been constantly upgraded andadapted for the programme. Around 20certified staff are available for NBF andEVA operations, many with cross-certification for multiple operationalfunctions. Operations documents,processes, checklists and dive plans havebeen developed to support smooth andsafe diving operations. Safety processes

have been defined and conducted toevaluate and (re-)certify the NBF andEVA infrastructure and equipment.

A Test Readiness Review process hasbeen developed to ensure safety andreadiness of the test operations, facility,equipment and personnel. It is called onfor each diving campaign, for new ormodified equipment and for changes inprocedures, rules or operations.

An end-to-end test of the emergencyrescue chain was run in June 2006,including external support from medicaloperations, onsite security, the waterrescue team of the fire brigade, andrescue helicopter teams.

Training Runs for ESA AstronautsTwo ESA astronauts with no EMUexperience were scheduled to start theirEVA training in Houston in late 2005, aspart of their ISS crewmember trainingprogramme: Frank De Winne andAndré Kuipers. Both had done scubatraining at EAC, and André had alreadyundergone Russian Orlan suit trainingin the Hydrolab at the GagarinCosmonaut Training Centre.

To help them, development of thetraining programme was accelerated inearly 2005, and tested by experiencedspacewalkers Claude Nicollier andGerhard Thiele.

Human Spaceflight


EVA Training

An ESA astronaut works with ISS connectors while standing in a portable foot restraint

Neutral Buoyancy Facility Characteristics

NBF Control Room• Video: 8 channels, including

switching matrix for observationand multiple recording ofunderwater and deck operations

• Additional monitor with switchingmatrix for deck personnel in NBFhall

• Audio: 2 audio loops for bi-directional communicationsbetween deck personnel andbetween deck personnel anddivers (including private loops withSSDS divers)

• Underwater loudspeakers forunidirectional communication withall divers

• Wireless headsets for deckpersonnel

NBF Hall, Rooms and Equipment• 48 m long, 24 m wide and 14.4 m high• NBF control room, scuba equipment

room, EVA equipment room, electricaland mechanical repair shop, scubafilling station, technical rooms for poolmaintenance, waterfiltration/purification, control andheating, showers/dressing rooms andsauna

• Remote air compressor with storagetank assembly including high-pressurefeedline connection to multiple fillingstation in NBF hall

• Overhead girder crane with 5 t capacity

EVA Tools• ISS handrails mounted on

airlock and Columbusmockups

• Portable Foot Restraints(PFRs) mounted on EVAworksites on Columbusmockup

• EMU-like boots for usewith PFR

• EMU Primary Life SupportSystem backpack, helmetand gloves (unpressurised)

• Mini Work Stations• limited sets of EVA and

dummy tethers• EVA connectors (electrical

and fluid)• ORU box and EVA tool box

Water Tank• 22 m long, 17 m wide and

10 m deep, volume3747 m3, temperature range27–29°C

• Submersible platform5x3.5 m for 0–9.5 m depths,250 kg loading capacity at0 m

• Continuous monitoring ofwater quality (e.g. pH value,chlorine, temperature)

Scuba and SSDS Diving Equipment • 20 complete sets of scuba equipment (tanks, regulators, suits etc)• 3 SSDS sets composed of:

– full-face mask with microphone and earphones for 2-way communications between SSDS diversand on-deck personnel;

– buoyancy jacket including inflator, with 6 litre/300 bar reserve air tank, pressure gauge and divecomputer;

– 60 m umbilical hose connected to deck air supply and for communication cables.• SSDS cart on-deck hosting umbilicals, air tanks, pressure-monitoring devices and video and audio

monitoring

Mockups• Modified Columbus wet

mockup with ISS handrailsand EVA workstations

• Russian airlock mockup• deployable solar panel

mockup


a representative helmet, a pair ofunpressurised EMU gloves and bootssuitable for foot restraints. There is avery limited set of tethers, along withdummy tethers deliberately to increasethe likelihood of tethers snaggingduring translation. The trainee has toperform an end-to-end EVA includingairlock egress/ ingress, ORU payloadtransportation to/from a worksite,translation using waist tethers(Russian protocol) and operation ofISS connectors. The trainee mustalways comply with the EVA rules:items and body must be tethered at alltimes, touch handrails only fortranslation, use only D-rings orhandrails for attaching safety tethers,and avoid keep-out zones.Disturbances are introduced duringthe scripted run to exercise situationalawareness, communication skills anddecision-making;

– the third and final ‘EV1+2 Run’underwater consists of a two-memberEVA designed to emphasise teamworkand team situational awareness, crewcommunication and workloadmanagement, in an even more realisticand challenging scenario. The traineesare paired and encouraged to developtheir own timeline and to define thesharing of their EVA tools. Theequipment is the same as for the EV1Run, except that the US safety tetherprotocol is used and the life-supportbackpack cannot be used owing tospace limitations in the airlock. Moretethers are also worn. The rules ofengagement include all those of theEV1 Run plus additional constraintsfor an ORU change-out requiringspecific tools from a toolbox at asecond work site. The TestConductor/instructor, who also playsthe onboard crew role, insertsunexpected equipment failures andunplanned activities, adjusting thescript’s intensity to the crewmembers’performance.

These last two activities are controlledby a Test Director, responsible for

leading the EVA operations andsupervised by the Test Conductor. Bothare in the Control Room, with a MedicalDoctor and a Safety Officer, responsiblefor the well-being of the crew and thesafety of the operations, and anAudio/Video Operator to ensure thedistribution and recording of allrequired signals. The Dive Supervisordirects and monitors on-deck the pre-and post-dive activities of the Trainees,Safety, Utility and Camera Divers,SSDS operator and deck supportpersonnel.

A study guide and DVD package withthe course material, videos of the EVAruns at EAC and additional referencedocumentation and EVA skilldemonstration videos, as well ascomputer-based training material, isgiven to the trainees upon coursecompletion.

During the past 2 years the NeutralBuoyancy Facility and its operationshave been constantly upgraded andadapted for the programme. Around 20certified staff are available for NBF andEVA operations, many with cross-certification for multiple operationalfunctions. Operations documents,processes, checklists and dive plans havebeen developed to support smooth andsafe diving operations. Safety processes

have been defined and conducted toevaluate and (re-)certify the NBF andEVA infrastructure and equipment.

A Test Readiness Review process hasbeen developed to ensure safety andreadiness of the test operations, facility,equipment and personnel. It is called onfor each diving campaign, for new ormodified equipment and for changes inprocedures, rules or operations.

An end-to-end test of the emergencyrescue chain was run in June 2006,including external support from medicaloperations, onsite security, the waterrescue team of the fire brigade, andrescue helicopter teams.

Training Runs for ESA AstronautsTwo ESA astronauts with no EMUexperience were scheduled to start theirEVA training in Houston in late 2005, aspart of their ISS crewmember trainingprogramme: Frank De Winne andAndré Kuipers. Both had done scubatraining at EAC, and André had alreadyundergone Russian Orlan suit trainingin the Hydrolab at the GagarinCosmonaut Training Centre.

To help them, development of thetraining programme was accelerated inearly 2005, and tested by experiencedspacewalkers Claude Nicollier andGerhard Thiele.

Human Spaceflight


EVA Training

An ESA astronaut works with ISS connectors while standing in a portable foot restraint

Neutral Buoyancy Facility Characteristics

NBF Control Room• Video: 8 channels, including

switching matrix for observationand multiple recording ofunderwater and deck operations

• Additional monitor with switchingmatrix for deck personnel in NBFhall

• Audio: 2 audio loops for bi-directional communicationsbetween deck personnel andbetween deck personnel anddivers (including private loops withSSDS divers)

• Underwater loudspeakers forunidirectional communication withall divers

• Wireless headsets for deckpersonnel

NBF Hall, Rooms and Equipment• 48 m long, 24 m wide and 14.4 m high• NBF control room, scuba equipment

room, EVA equipment room, electricaland mechanical repair shop, scubafilling station, technical rooms for poolmaintenance, waterfiltration/purification, control andheating, showers/dressing rooms andsauna

• Remote air compressor with storagetank assembly including high-pressurefeedline connection to multiple fillingstation in NBF hall

• Overhead girder crane with 5 t capacity

EVA Tools• ISS handrails mounted on

airlock and Columbusmockups

• Portable Foot Restraints(PFRs) mounted on EVAworksites on Columbusmockup

• EMU-like boots for usewith PFR

• EMU Primary Life SupportSystem backpack, helmetand gloves (unpressurised)

• Mini Work Stations• limited sets of EVA and

dummy tethers• EVA connectors (electrical

and fluid)• ORU box and EVA tool box

Water Tank• 22 m long, 17 m wide and

10 m deep, volume3747 m3, temperature range27–29°C

• Submersible platform5x3.5 m for 0–9.5 m depths,250 kg loading capacity at0 m

• Continuous monitoring ofwater quality (e.g. pH value,chlorine, temperature)

Scuba and SSDS Diving Equipment • 20 complete sets of scuba equipment (tanks, regulators, suits etc)• 3 SSDS sets composed of:

– full-face mask with microphone and earphones for 2-way communications between SSDS diversand on-deck personnel;

– buoyancy jacket including inflator, with 6 litre/300 bar reserve air tank, pressure gauge and divecomputer;

– 60 m umbilical hose connected to deck air supply and for communication cables.• SSDS cart on-deck hosting umbilicals, air tanks, pressure-monitoring devices and video and audio

monitoring

Mockups• Modified Columbus wet

mockup with ISS handrailsand EVA workstations

• Russian airlock mockup• deployable solar panel

mockup


Frank and André completed thecourse in three slots. The first two, inJune and September 2005, coveredeverything up to the EV1 Run so thatthey could gain their EMU SuitQualification at JSC. Feedback fromthem and their NASA instructorsconfirmed that the ESA programme hadsignificantly contributed to theirperformances during the first trainingrun in Houston. They also providedvaluable suggestions for improvement.

The training concluded in March 2006before Frank and André resumed theirEVA training at JSC, and focused on theEV1+2 Run. Both asked to perform itagain some time as a refresher, becauseit appeared to be useful for proficiencytraining.

Frank and André’s EVA Pre-Familiarisation Training was fullycoordinated with NASA’s chief EVAinstructor. Following this success, theNASA EVA office decided to haveinternational and experienced EVAcrewmembers perform an official reviewto validate the training.

Cooperation with NASAThis programme was developed throughvery fruitful cooperation, first proposedin 2002, between EAC and the EVAtraining experts at JSC.

As a first step, NASA-NBL and ESA-NBF in 2004 jointly agreed on a DivingCertification Protocol for ISS CrewMembers and Training Specialists toharmonise the requirements for scubadiving proficiency training andcertification. The logical next step wasto extend the cooperation to the NASAEVA Office to identify jointly how EAC

ESA-NASA-JAXA Crew ReviewThe success of the workshop raised theinterest of the NASA Crew Office, whodecided to perform an official CrewReview, to assess the suitability of ESA’scourse for inexperienced EVAcrewmembers, and the suitability of theEV1+2 run for maintaining theproficiency of experienced EVA crewduring long periods of non-EVAtraining.

The following astronauts took part astrainees to evaluate the course:

– Scott Parazynski, NASA (formerChief of the NASA Astronaut OfficeEVA Branch, has logged 20 hours ofEVA);

– Koichi Wakata, Japan AerospaceExploration Agency (JAXA; twospacewalks);

– Paolo Nespoli, ESA (working for theNASA Astronaut Office EVABranch).

They were supported by a NASAdelegation that included representativesfrom the EVA office, the NBL andNASA Safety. Stephen Doering, Headof the NASA EVA Office, also attendedthe training at EAC. The first weekconsisted of a thorough safety

could improve the preparation ofEuropean astronauts for future EVAtraining at the NBL. This led to thesignature of a Framework of Cooperationbetween the NASA EVA Office, NASANeutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL),NASA EVA Operations and the ESANeutral Buoyancy Facility (NBF) for thepreparation of European Astronauts toEVA Pre-Familiarisation.

As a result of this agreement, NASAprovided 40 hours of EVA training toESA instructors Loredana Bessone andHervé Stevenin, including a 4-hourEMU Suit Qualification at NBL. It wasthe first time that non-astronaut

inspection, and the preparation andexecution at EAC of a joint NASA-ESATest Readiness Review to ensure thatboth parties had a common agreementon the safety and operational readinessof the programme before the the crewarrived.

This event was followed by an intenseweek of training for the threeastronauts, who went through thecomplete course. They provided

outstanding feedback, including detailedrecommendations to improve thequality even further. As a close-out ofthis Crew Review, all of them deliveredreports to a NASA EVA Crew ConsensusMemorandum for Validation of theEuropean Astronaut Centre EVA Pre-Familiarisation Training Program issuedby Dave Wolf, Head of the EVA Branchin the NASA Crew Office.

ConclusionThe ESA EVA Pre-FamiliarisationTraining Programme has proved tobenefit ESA astronauts who have notyet been through EVA training at JSC orGCTC (“EAC personnel are to becommended for their innovation and hardwork preparing this excellent course” saidDave Wolf). It will also be of great valueto the new ESA astronaut candidates,who will begin Basic Training at EACwithin the next 2–3 years.

The programme not only preparesESA astronauts for assignment to ISSEVA crews. As reported in the CrewConsensus Memorandum, “it has alsoconsiderable potential to aid current ESAastronauts in general proficiencymaintenance of EVA operations andsituational awareness while not assignedto training at JSC or GCTC”.

The memorandum also states “other

Europeans had received such training atJSC. In cooperation with the NASAinstructors, objectives were identified,requirements defined and the newcourse developed, tested and in place atEAC in less than a year.

In December 2005 an ESA-NASAEVA Pre-Familiarisation Workshop tookplace at EAC over a week todemonstrate the ESA course to NASAEVA experts, including the supportingNBF operations and EAC’s safety set-up. NASA feedback and recommend-ations were integrated and ESA andNASA jointly developed the EV1+2Run.

Human Spaceflight


EVA Training

ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli (left) and NASA Astronaut Scott Parazynski prepare for a dive

The participants in the ESA-NASA-JAXA Crew Review, June 2006

ESA instructors Loredana Bessone and Hervé Stevenin work in JSC’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory to gain their NASA Suit Qualification

Claude Nicollier undertakes the pre-familiarisation training at EAC

Frank De Winne in the SSDS mask at EAC

“This training really helped me in preparing

for the first EVA runs I had to do at JSC.

During my first runs in the NBL, I was really

amazed to see how much I had learned

from these first simulations. This EVA

precursor training is, for me, the first step in

acquiring European expertise in

operational training, beyond the normal

system training that is already performed at

EAC.”

Frank De Winne


Frank and André completed thecourse in three slots. The first two, inJune and September 2005, coveredeverything up to the EV1 Run so thatthey could gain their EMU SuitQualification at JSC. Feedback fromthem and their NASA instructorsconfirmed that the ESA programme hadsignificantly contributed to theirperformances during the first trainingrun in Houston. They also providedvaluable suggestions for improvement.

The training concluded in March 2006before Frank and André resumed theirEVA training at JSC, and focused on theEV1+2 Run. Both asked to perform itagain some time as a refresher, becauseit appeared to be useful for proficiencytraining.

Frank and André’s EVA Pre-Familiarisation Training was fullycoordinated with NASA’s chief EVAinstructor. Following this success, theNASA EVA office decided to haveinternational and experienced EVAcrewmembers perform an official reviewto validate the training.

Cooperation with NASAThis programme was developed throughvery fruitful cooperation, first proposedin 2002, between EAC and the EVAtraining experts at JSC.

As a first step, NASA-NBL and ESA-NBF in 2004 jointly agreed on a DivingCertification Protocol for ISS CrewMembers and Training Specialists toharmonise the requirements for scubadiving proficiency training andcertification. The logical next step wasto extend the cooperation to the NASAEVA Office to identify jointly how EAC

ESA-NASA-JAXA Crew ReviewThe success of the workshop raised theinterest of the NASA Crew Office, whodecided to perform an official CrewReview, to assess the suitability of ESA’scourse for inexperienced EVAcrewmembers, and the suitability of theEV1+2 run for maintaining theproficiency of experienced EVA crewduring long periods of non-EVAtraining.

The following astronauts took part astrainees to evaluate the course:

– Scott Parazynski, NASA (formerChief of the NASA Astronaut OfficeEVA Branch, has logged 20 hours ofEVA);

– Koichi Wakata, Japan AerospaceExploration Agency (JAXA; twospacewalks);

– Paolo Nespoli, ESA (working for theNASA Astronaut Office EVABranch).

They were supported by a NASAdelegation that included representativesfrom the EVA office, the NBL andNASA Safety. Stephen Doering, Headof the NASA EVA Office, also attendedthe training at EAC. The first weekconsisted of a thorough safety

could improve the preparation ofEuropean astronauts for future EVAtraining at the NBL. This led to thesignature of a Framework of Cooperationbetween the NASA EVA Office, NASANeutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL),NASA EVA Operations and the ESANeutral Buoyancy Facility (NBF) for thepreparation of European Astronauts toEVA Pre-Familiarisation.

As a result of this agreement, NASAprovided 40 hours of EVA training toESA instructors Loredana Bessone andHervé Stevenin, including a 4-hourEMU Suit Qualification at NBL. It wasthe first time that non-astronaut

inspection, and the preparation andexecution at EAC of a joint NASA-ESATest Readiness Review to ensure thatboth parties had a common agreementon the safety and operational readinessof the programme before the the crewarrived.

This event was followed by an intenseweek of training for the threeastronauts, who went through thecomplete course. They provided

outstanding feedback, including detailedrecommendations to improve thequality even further. As a close-out ofthis Crew Review, all of them deliveredreports to a NASA EVA Crew ConsensusMemorandum for Validation of theEuropean Astronaut Centre EVA Pre-Familiarisation Training Program issuedby Dave Wolf, Head of the EVA Branchin the NASA Crew Office.

ConclusionThe ESA EVA Pre-FamiliarisationTraining Programme has proved tobenefit ESA astronauts who have notyet been through EVA training at JSC orGCTC (“EAC personnel are to becommended for their innovation and hardwork preparing this excellent course” saidDave Wolf). It will also be of great valueto the new ESA astronaut candidates,who will begin Basic Training at EACwithin the next 2–3 years.

The programme not only preparesESA astronauts for assignment to ISSEVA crews. As reported in the CrewConsensus Memorandum, “it has alsoconsiderable potential to aid current ESAastronauts in general proficiencymaintenance of EVA operations andsituational awareness while not assignedto training at JSC or GCTC”.

The memorandum also states “other

Europeans had received such training atJSC. In cooperation with the NASAinstructors, objectives were identified,requirements defined and the newcourse developed, tested and in place atEAC in less than a year.

In December 2005 an ESA-NASAEVA Pre-Familiarisation Workshop tookplace at EAC over a week todemonstrate the ESA course to NASAEVA experts, including the supportingNBF operations and EAC’s safety set-up. NASA feedback and recommend-ations were integrated and ESA andNASA jointly developed the EV1+2Run.

Human Spaceflight


EVA Training

ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli (left) and NASA Astronaut Scott Parazynski prepare for a dive

The participants in the ESA-NASA-JAXA Crew Review, June 2006

ESA instructors Loredana Bessone and Hervé Stevenin work in JSC’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory to gain their NASA Suit Qualification

Claude Nicollier undertakes the pre-familiarisation training at EAC

Frank De Winne in the SSDS mask at EAC

“This training really helped me in preparing

for the first EVA runs I had to do at JSC.

During my first runs in the NBL, I was really

amazed to see how much I had learned

from these first simulations. This EVA

precursor training is, for me, the first step in

acquiring European expertise in

operational training, beyond the normal

system training that is already performed at

EAC.”

Frank De Winne


International Partner astronauts not infull time training at JSC or GCTC mightfind this program beneficial prior tocommencing suited EVA training”. Thisinnovative ESA programme is an opendoor to extend current EVA cooperationto the other ISS partners.

Besides crew training, the NBFinfrastructure (including the EVAexpertise available at EAC) can also test

space hardware underwater. The firstunderwater test of Eurobot is scheduledbefore the end of 2006.

Last but not least, this programme hasprovided ESA with valuable expertise indeveloping and performing spacewalktraining. Combined with the EVAexperience acquired by the ESAastronauts through their space missions,it is helping to build operational

knowledge at EAC for Europe on thechallenges of EVAs, which can only bebeneficial for future human spaceflightexploration.

AcknowledgementsNumerous individuals and organisa-tions made this course possible throughtheir expertise, support and dedication.Our gratitude goes to all of them, butsince it is impossible to name them all,the authors thank the organisations theyrepresent: NASA-NBL, NASA EVAOffice and EVA Operations, NASAJAXA and ESA Astronaut Offices,NASA and EAC Safety. The divingteam from SDT&S, DLR TechnischeDienste, DLR Institut für Luft- undRaumfahrtmedizin and EAC MedicalSupport Office, Berufsfeuerwehr Koelnand Taucherrettungsgruppe derBerufsfeuerwehr Koeln, ADACLuftrettung ‘Christoph-Rheinland’,Polizeifliegerstaffel West. A specialmention goes to the divers and EACteam members involved in theNBF/EVA operations. e

Human Spaceflight

esa bulletin 128 - november 2006 www.esa.int40

Further information on the European Astronaut Centreand its activities can be found at

www.esa.int/eac

Thomas Reiter during his ISS spacewalk on 3 August 2006


Documents

Astronaut Training Division, European Astronaut Centre, … · 2006-11-23 · Astronaut Training Division, European Astronaut Centre, Directorate of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity