The photo was taken in a cave about 3.5 kilometers long in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. In the narrow passage of a massive cave in the Apennine Mountains of Italy, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Marco Sieber spent four days participating in ESA’s CAVES training program. The experience required constant vigilance: they traversed steep, uneven terrain, climbed vertical passages up to 20 meters with ropes, and set up a temporary base in a small underground space. In this confined space, they prepared food, rested, and shared their impressions.
Sieber was joined by NASA astronaut Jasmine “Jaws” Moghbel, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) representative Makoto Suwa, and Mohammed Al Mulla, an astronaut from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in the United Arab Emirates.
They monitored environmental changes, collected samples of microorganisms, and measured radon and carbon dioxide levels, which are indispensable for long-duration space missions.
