The submarines we will be using on our mission are designed to be inhabited by one to three people at once. The space inside the submarines is extremely tight, with barely enough space to do anything but lie down or sit. I regret using the word claustrophobic to describe the space suits. They were cozy compared to the submarine.
The controls are actually quite simple, with two joysticks to control the motion at the front by the largest of the three viewing windows. In case of emergency there is also a second controller.
One of the key features of the submersible is a robotic arm that could be released and controlled by a third joystick. This robotic arm could be used to collect samples that I could later analyze in the laboratory. If we do discover life on Europa it is going to be because of these submarines.
While I was anxious about the submarines at first, I've become a lot more comfortable with them since the first day we used them. In fact, since the first day where the submarine trainers took us down and taught us how to use them, I would say I'm one of the members of the group that excelled with the submarine.
That excites me because I signed up for this mission to be at the forefront of discovering alien life. This would ensure that I would be there.
On the other end of the spectrum, Richard will be staying behind at base camp during the submarine dives. On two separate occasions he has vomited when the submarine submerged. I only hope he doesn't do the same when the rocket launches.
Vomit has always made me feel a bit uneasy. I have a feeling it will be even more nauseating to watch someone throw up in zero gravity conditions.
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Europa
Ciencia FicciónIn order to embark on a mission to discover alien life on the icy moon of Jupiter Maria must leave her life on Earth behind, including her father and her seven-year-old son Diego. She thought the hardest part of the mission would be saying goodbye...
