Five explorers from three space agencies have successfully completed ESA’s CAVES training course in Italy.   

For two intense weeks, deep below the Apennine Mountains, caves became their training laboratory. Trainees had to adapt to an alien underworld that shares many analogies with a space mission: isolation, confinement and limited supplies.  

Participants in the eighth edition were ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan, John McFall, member of ESA’s astronaut reserve and the Fly! project, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, NASA astronaut candidate Ben Bailey and JAXA astronaut Ayu Yoneda. 

CAVES offers a unique opportunity for spacefarers to become proficient explorers by experiencing the physical and psychological extremes of an unknown environment.  

Before entering the cave, the crew received a mix of technical lectures, outdoor training and lessons on how to perform effectively as a team to prepare them for the challenges ahead. The astronauts learnt about cave mapping, how to perform scientific experiments and the best ways to communicate with each other. They also developed rope climbing skills to move through the cave.

Above ground, mission control tracked their progress with a 3D map generated with inputs from the crew as they explored the cave. Scientists could locate the astronauts’ observations paired with pictures, and send their comments back to the cave. 

The crew monitored the ever-changing cave environment. The astronauts carried out science experiments, including taking swabs in the search of microbes, monitoring radon and carbon dioxide levels and observing the flow of water.

Follow their cave expedition on our CAVES Flickr gallery and on ESA’s blog.