ESA’s SubSea Project: What Submarines Can Teach Us About Life in Space

Submarines have become a unique platform for researching human adaption and the potential conditions of isolation in space missions.

Studying Isolation and Stress for Future Space Missions

The ESA, Portuguese Space Agency, and Portuguese Navy are all using these vessels to conduct further research.

The first crew of the SubSea project have just spent 60 days in an underwater expedition and a team collected from European universities was studying how the stress and crew dynamics impacted the mission. 25 volunteers in total were on board.

The submarines can replicate some of the many challenges and isolation that are a part of many space missions. They can also prove to be a way to gather data, test new techniques, and see how humans react to the process.

Both body and mind were tracked over the 60 years with questionnaires as well as hair and saliva samples to show their health over the course of the two-month period.

Further ESA Research

Further ESA research has taken place using the International Space Station. The ISS has now helped studying spaceflight and its effects for two decades. Astronauts can experience elements of space travel like microgravity as well as space radiation.

Andreas Mogensen is an ESA astronaut who recently spent six months on the ISS and spoke about the need for programmes like this for preparing potential astronauts for some of the conditions of space. “SubSea is an essential initiative to understand human resilience in extreme environments,” he explained.

“Research into life and work in confined environments, whether under the sea, in space or in remote locations on Earth provide invaluable insights into how humans adapt physically and mentally to isolation and stress.”

The ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander also spoke about the merits of SubSea and similar projects.

“These efforts deepen our understanding of extreme environments and play a crucial role in preparing the global space community for the challenges of future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” he explained.

SubSea aims to explore some of the potential issues with sleep disturbances and even depression and seasonal affective disorder that can come with long spells in isolation.