From Sea to Space: NASA preps for moon missions at Wrigley Marine Science Center

Original story by Jeffrey Bozanic, Ph.D.

NASA has long used underwater training to simulate the zero-gravity environment of outer space. Starting in the late 1960s with the agency’s Gemini program, astronauts have gone underwater to practice equipment repairs, spacewalks, and a host of other key tasks prior to launch.

The Wrigley Institute’s Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC), located on Catalina Island, is proud to be part of that history. For several years, NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) program has visited the campus to train in Big Fisherman Cove.

Fall 2024 brought a group who are training for the next U.S.-led mission to the Moon. Participants included astronauts and staff from NASA’s Artemis program, as well as individuals from the European, Canadian, and United Arab Emirates space agencies. The first Artemis mission to land people on the Moon is currently scheduled for September 2026. The trip will mark NASA’s first visit to the lunar surface since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

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