We train astronauts from the most important space agencies to become scientific explorers, learning about geological terrains of our Earth and other planets ,in preparation for future missions to the Moon.
PANGAEA (Planetary ANalogue Geological and Astrobiological Exercise for Astronauts), is a complex training for astronauts, designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) which deals with the topics of geology and astrobiology in planetary exploration. To date, 15 astronauts from ESA, NASA and JAXA and 5 non-astronauts, including space engineers, operations and extravehicular activity (EVA) specialists, have attended the course. Miles Beyond is charged by ESA with the organisation of the course in terms of logistics, safety, and providing instructors and scientists involved in the different phases of the training.
The astronauts training takes place in classrooms, where basic theoretical and practical knowledge of geology and astrobiology is taught. In addition to theoretical lectures, the PANGAEA course includes many hours of activities directly on the field and in different environments, all with strong analogies to the Moon and Mars. PANGAEA activities take place from the Dolomites (Italy), to the Nördlingen-Ries crater (Germany), to the volcanoes of Lanzarote (Spain) and the Lofoten archipelago (Norway).
During the various editions, astronauts have given very positive feedback, identifying PANGAEA as one of the most important geological training programmes for the return to the Moon and future missions to Mars.
«The course is an excellent mix of classroom lectures, exercises and field work (…) so that we can see what we have discussed in the classroom and then get hands-on experience, see real-world examples.»
from the astronaut feedback session in 2021
from the feedback session of a NASA astronaut from the Artemis group in 2021
«I found the concept of learning in the field very interesting (…) so that we can discuss how volcanoes are formed in the morning and then actually walk on different volcanic terrains in the afternoon; this is really useful from a training point of view because you see the geology you are learning in its context.»
Photo credits ESA
