San Francisco Volcanic Fields (SFVF)

This course covers the requirements and design considerations for EVA systems and tools for conducting planetary field geology. Included are an introduction to field science in the context of geology; an overview of the processes that shape the surface environments of Mars and Earth’s moon; a survey of historical planetary surface geologic exploration by robots and humans; and a survey of historical EVA systems and tools used for human surface science. Emphasis will be on analyzing the constraints placed by human factors, the EVA environment, science tasks, etc. upon the design and implementation of EVA suits, tools, and procedures for effective and efficient field science operations on planetary surfaces..

The online portion of the EVA 103 course will be followed by a ~1-week capstone field experience in the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF), just north of Flagstaff, AZ. This area has been used extensively in the past for a number of NASA analog mission simulations and NASA-funded geologic research related to planetary field exploration. Students will be introduced to basic field science practice in the context of geologic observations and sample collection. Field work will also involve testing of prototype surface EVA suits and tools in the scientifically relevant analog setting of the SFVF.

EVA 102 participants will learn about space medicine, wilderness medicine, human performance, leadership and psychological resilience. The course will dedicate a special focus to extreme environment & wilderness medicine, and how the spaceflight environments may inform triage and first aid scenarios. The on-site portion of this class will focus on wilderness medicine in extreme environments, culminating with a 4.5 on-site lab portion devoted to triage, scenarios and skills pertaining to wilderness medicine. Basic and Advanced First Aid certifications and graduation from AST 101 and EVA 101 are prerequisites to EVA 102.

It is anticipated that at the end of this course, participants will have gained 1) basic knowledge and understanding of space medicine and physiology, specifically the space environment as it pertains to human health pre-, post- and in-flight, 2) an appreciation of extreme environments and how they inform space exploration, and 3) a basic understanding of, and be able to demonstrate basic competency in skills related to wilderness medicine and outdoor survival.