5.1_ B R I E F
A TRAINING FACILITY FOR ASTRONAUTS FROM THE NATIONAL AND PRIVATE SECTOR SPACE AGENCIES LOCATED IN SUTHERLAND, SOUTH AFRICA
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P R O G R A M
This project aims to design a training facility for Astronauts from the National and Private Sector Space Agencies by documenting the required facilities needed for Astronaut training and looking for specific climatic conditions in South Africa that can potentially replicate climatic conditions encountered on Mars. This project aims to be a starting point for SANSA so that South Africa’s very young National Space Agency will start to form part of Space Travel and human-crewed missions. Once Space Travel becomes part of everyday life, for instance, colonies on Mars, the everyday civilian will need some training as well, and this facility aims to aid these civilians and Astronauts in survival and simulation training. This training facility also aims to aid in survival training as Sutherland has one of the most unique climates in the world with high temperatures during the day and very low temperatures at night. The average temperatures in summer months in South Africa can reach temperatures as high as 29°C to 33°C and lows of 15°C. In winter months, the average daily temperatures in South Africa can go down to 20°C and low temps of 3°C can be reached (The Land, 2017). The climate conditions in Sutherland, South Africa closely mimic climate conditions on Mars for specific times of the yearas shown in the climate study.
The project brief and programme were set up by looking at what Astronauts will have to encounter and experience on a daily basis. The programme was taken from the day-to-day experiences from the Astronauts at the Johnsons Space centre and how they execute their missions and testing of equipment. They get briefed on the simulation that will take place on a particular day for a certain timeframe; after the briefing they are shown the equipment and tools that they have available to perform and complete the simulation. The Astronauts are then assisted into their spacesuits and enter the simulation area where they will start the mission.
