Geologic training for America’s astronauts

Dean Eppler¹*, Cynthia Evans¹, Barbara Tewksbury², Mark Helper³, Jacob Bleacher⁴, Michael Fossum⁵, Duane Ross⁵, Andrew Feustel⁵

1 Code XA, NASA-JSC, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Texas 77058, USA
2 Dept. of Geosciences, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York 13323, USA
3 Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
4 Code 698, NASA-GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
5 Code CB, NASA-JSC, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Texas 77058, USA.

Abstract

NASA astronauts are smart, highly motivated, intensely curious, and intellectually fearless. As pilots, scientists, and engineers, they have outstanding observational and reasoning skills. Very few, however, have any prior background in geology. The purpose of this article is to inform the geologic community about what we are doing to provide useful geologic training for current and future NASA astronauts who will spend many months observing Earth from orbit on the International Space Station and who will be involved in such activities as suit and tool testing, field operations, mission planning, and future off-planet exploration.

*E-mail: .

Manuscript received 28 Apr. 2016; accepted 3 June 2016

doi: 10.1130/GSATG295GW.1

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