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Have you ever ever puzzled the place do astronauts go to coach?
The fitness center for certain may very well be one for bodily power constructing train, nonetheless, they’re despatched to coaching grounds in Antarctica!
Why you ask?
The Antarctica presents an ideal coaching floor for astronauts who go on lengthy area mission. These astronauts are despatched to Antarctica 4 months upfront to spend time on icy chilly area trains these astronauts for a number of months of isolation, confinement and prepares them to face excessive atmosphere.
The coaching is carried out in the course of the winter months in Antarctica, contemplating the continent is with out daylight for 4 months of the yr.
This yr the interval of no daylight started on 13 Could after the sundown.
The European House Company (ESA), which runs Concordia, the remotest base on Earth, stated this marks the start of a really thrilling time for the 12-member crew.
What the researchers will likely be learning
The ESA stated that the workforce will dwell and work in isolation for six months within the identify of spaceflight analysis. They’ll conduct biomedical experiments on themselves to know how people address dwelling in excessive isolation.
“From sleep research to intestine well being measurements to aware practices, the crew are poked and prodded to assist researchers perceive and overcome the challenges excessive environments, like area, pose to current and future explorers,” the ESA stated on its web site.
No sundown for 4 months
A picture of the penultimate sundown (on 13 Could) was posted on ESA’s web site and social media platforms, which present the Solar showing solely as a skinny sliver within the sky.
The final airplane with provides visited the Concordia station in February forward of the analysis that can final 9 months. 4 of those will likely be within the whole darkness of Antarctic winter.
Harsh circumstances in Antarctica
The Concordia station is situated only a few kilometres from the South Pole of the Earth. The ESA stated that temperatures can drop to minus 80 levels Celsius within the full frozen darkness exterior.
No provides or folks will be flown in in the course of the winter months and the excessive altitude causes the crew to expertise persistent hypobaric hypoxia or lack of oxygen within the mind.
The Concordia base
Concordia is a collaboration between the French Polar Institute and the Italian Antarctic programme and is one in every of solely three bases that’s inhabited all yr lengthy.
This yr’s crew members are a mixture of Italian and French researchers and technicians plus Swedish supervisor Dr Hannes Hagson, who will handle the bottom and conduct science within the uniquely pristine panorama of Antarctica.
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