The aerocrew mission : training space Session at Ny Aalesund Arctic base

Abstract

The Aerocrew mission has been realized in December 2007, in the frame of the International Polar Year, and in cooperation with the Polar Institut Paul-Émile Victor. The team has realized an original5 days training experience at Ny-Aalesund Arctic Base (79°N) the. The 11 crew members constituted a space crew, including physicians, aerospace crew trainers and engineers, and were implied in a seminar with 4 sessions, dealing with the training capabilities of Arctic Bases. The goal was on one hand to show that this kind of base constitutes a pertinent and affordable facility for space and aerospace teams, and on the other hand that the specific aerospace crew training techniques, could be fruitful for the scientists in artcic bases (glaciologists, geologists, specialists of the atmosphere). The 4 sessions, given by professionals of aerospace, robotics and medicine, covered the training methods for crews, robotics for outdoor and indoor activities, engineering of embedded systems, and the internal arrangement of crafts. The experience has shown the efficiency of a transverse visiting multidisciplinary team for training, and possible synergies with the resident scientists. In addition, the sessions were enriched by demonstrations such as mini-robot for observation, micro-helicopter for special sites, and also the comparison between EVA Russian glove and Polar Suits. After this mission, it was possible to conclude that this kind of cooperation could certainly open perspectives with crossed benefits either for space training and arctic research.