Space rescue
ESA, European Space Agency, he just tested a lunar stretcher. It is a device that aims to assist astronauts during missions on the lunar surface.
The strange gadget called LESA (Lunar Evacuation System Assembly) is a pyramid-shaped structure that can be operated by one person. With LESA an astronaut can pull out and rescue a mission companion.
It is the first in the world
LESA will serve in all those unfortunate cases in which an astronaut will not be able to move: this lunar stretcher will be able to carry it on board the spacecraft or a rover to receive help. According to an ESA release, you can drive “like a golf caddy”.
“There is no other way for an astronaut to carry a companion to safety while wearing an extravehicular suit,” says operations chief Hervé Stevenin.
Underwater gym
Two members of NASA's NEEMO 23 mission are testing the second LESA prototype. A first development was tested in 2017 with success and much feedback: today the space stretcher is tested at the Aquarius laboratory, 19 meters deep and 8km off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. It is the only permanent and operational underwater research laboratory in the world.
Preparing possible relief in case of problems is one of the tasks of those who plan a space mission, and certainly it is the tangible sign that the agencies of the world (not to mention states like China) are taking a new moon landing seriously.
