ESA PANGAEA
PANGAEA (Planetary Analogue Geological and Astrobiological Exercise for Astronauts) is an astronaut training course developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). It provides foundational knowledge and skills primarily in field geology to prepare astronauts for advanced mission-specific training for Moon and Mars missions. PANGAEA also incorporates the development and testing of technologies to support planetary exploration.[1][2][3][4]
Field training locations[edit]
During the PANGAEA course, trainees travel to several terrestrial locations that are analogous to some of the geological environments on the Moon and Mars[5][6].
Bletterbach Canyon, Italy[edit]
Bletterbach Canyon is part of the Italian Dolomites region. Here, PANGAEA trainees learn the basics of field geology, with some focus on terrestrial and Martian sedimentary geological and surface processes. This is aided by the presence of geological features within the canyon, such as gypsum veins, sedimentary deposits (e.g., fossilised rivers and seabeds) and volcanic bodies, which are analogous to similar features observed on Mars[7]. The Bletterbach Canyon portion of the PANGAEA course is made possible due to collaboration with the GEOPARC Bletterbach team.
Nördlinger Ries Crater, Germany[edit]
Nördlinger Ries Crater is an approximately 15 million years old impact crater located in western Bavaria, Germany. Here, PANGAEA instructors use the crater to teach trainees about the rocks and minerals created by such impacts (e.g., shocked quartz), and the large-scale structure of such locations. Impact craters are ubiquitous on the Moon and Mars; therefore, it is important that astronauts are familiar with them. The Apollo 14 and 17 astronauts also studied the geology of Nördlinger Ries crater in 1970[8]. The training at Ries Crater is made possible with the help of the Rieskrater Museum.
Lanzarote, Spain[edit]
Lanzarote is a small volcanic island off the coast of West Africa, with numerous volcanic edifices, lava flows, and lava tubes, similar to those seen on the Moon and Mars. Here, PANGAEA trainees study primary igneous minerals, alteration minerals, and practice operational concepts, such as geological traverses and sampling techniques in coordination with remote science teams[9][10]. The samples collected during several of these geological traverses have real scientific value, and are sent to researchers to help understand more about these environments. The Lanzarote based portion of the PANGAEA course is made possible due to collaboration with the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the Lanzarote and Chinijo Islands UNESCO GEOPARC, and IGEO’s Laboratory of Geosciences.
Lofoten, Norway[edit]
Lofoten is an archipelago in northern Norway. The region contains rare anorthosite formations, a major constituent of the lunar highlands. In this location, astronauts have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge on intrusive rocks with a special focus on the evolution of the primary crust and mantle of the Moon. The training session is designed around a series of geological traverses with increasing complexity and crew autonomy. This part of PANGAEA has been developed with the support of the Norwegian Mining Museum in Oslo.
PANGAEA participants[edit]
PANGAEA has trained astronauts and cosmonauts from ESA, NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos, including several from the Artemis Team.[11]
PANGAEA 2016[edit]
- Luca Parmitano – ESA astronaut
- Matthias Maurer – ESA astronaut
- Pedro Duque – ESA astronaut
PANGAEA 2017[edit]
- Samantha Cristoforetti – ESA astronaut
- Hervé Stevenin – ESA EVA instructor
- William Carrey – ESA robotics engineer
- Shahrzad Hosseini – ESA scientist
PANGAEA 2018[edit]
- Thomas Reiter – ESA astronaut
- Sergej Kud’-Sverčkov – Roscosmos cosmonaut
- Aidan Cowley – ESA science advisor and Spaceship EAC lead
PANGAEA 2021-2022[edit]
- Kathleen Rubins – NASA astronaut
- Andreas Mogensen – ESA astronaut
- Robin Eccleston – ESA research fellow
PANGAEA 2022-2023[edit]
- Stephanie Wilson – NASA astronaut
- Alexander Gerst – ESA astronaut
Lofoten session[12]
- Alexander Gerst – ESA astronaut
- Samantha Cristoforetti - ESA astronaut
PANGAEA 2023[edit]
- Jessica Wittner - NASA astronaut
- Thomas Pesquet - ESA astronaut
- Takuya Onishi - JAXA astronaut
References[edit]
- ^ Francesco Sauro, Samuel J. Payler, Matteo Massironi, Riccardo Pozzobon, Harald Hiesinger, Nicolas Mangold, Charles S. Cockell, Jesus Martínez Frias, Kåre Kullerud, Leonardo Turchi, Igor Drozdovskiy, Loredana Bessone, Training astronauts for scientific exploration on planetary surfaces: The ESA PANGAEA programme, Acta Astronautica, Volume 204, 2023, Pages 222-238, ISSN 0094-5765, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2022.12.034.
- ^ "What is Pangaea?". www.esa.int.
- ^ Williams, Matt (September 14, 2016). "Get That Geologist A Flight Suit!".
- ^ Agency, European Space. "Training astronauts to be scientists on the moon". phys.org.
- ^ https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/CAVES_and_Pangaea/What_is_CAVES, What is CAVES
- ^ Sauro, F., Massironi, M., Pozzobon, R., Hiesinger, H., Mangold, N., Frias, J.M., Cockell, C. and Bessone, L., 2018b. Training astronauts for field geology: The ESA PANGAEA Training and PANGAEA-extension testing analogue. LPI, (2083), p.1120.
- ^ Buz, J., Ehlmann, B.L., Pan, L. and Grotzinger, J.P., 2017. Mineralogy and stratigraphy of the Gale crater rim, wall, and floor units. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 122(5), pp.1090-1118.
- ^ Pösges, G., 2005. The Ries Crater Museum in Nördlinger, Bavaria, Germany. Meteoritics & Planetary Science Archives, 40(9-10), pp.1555-1557.
- ^ Sauro, F., Massironi, M., Pozzobon, R., Hiesinger, H., Mangold, N., Cockell C.S., Frias, J.M., Payler, S.J. and Bessone, L., 2020a. Geological and astrobiological training to prepare astronauts for planetary surface exploration. LPSC 2020 (1963).
- ^ Miller, A.Z., Gonzalez-Pimentel, J.L., Maurer, M., Stahl, S., Castro-Wallace, S., Bessone, L., Martinez-Frias, J. and Sauro, F., 2020. Geomicrobiological Field Research in a Subsurface Analogue Environment for Future Planetary Caves Missions. 3rd International Planetary Caves Conference LPICo, 2197, p.1052.
- ^ Potter, Sean (December 9, 2020). "NASA Names Artemis Team of Astronauts Eligible for Early Moon Missions". NASA.
- ^ "Train me to the Moon and back". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2023-07-21.