By Julian Gavaghan
It looks like something out of classic movie 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
In fact these underwater dwellers living at the bottom of the ocean are Nasa astronauts preparing for a future mission to an asteroid.
The spacemen are exploring the sea off the coast of Key Largo, Florida as part of the - incidentally movie-themed name - Project Neemo.
Houston, we have a pond-lem! One of the astronauts dives neat the under water station Aquarius
The so-called aquanauts, working for Nasa Extreme Environment Mission Operations, to give its full name - are living 64ft below the surface in a laboratory home called Aquarius.
By day they embark on diving mission in simulation of a real mission to an asteroid, which space chiefs hope might take place during the next decade.
The researchers will investigate three stages of a mission to an asteroid - how to anchor to the surface, how to move around, and how best to collect data.
After spending more than a month there, the team has now returned to the sunny surface.
Life in the deep: Aquarius is located 64ft below the ocean surface off the coast of Key Largo, Florida
Living the life aquatic: Crew members in the home under the sea, where they live for up to a month
Silent world: Project Neemo divers seen from below
A new group of investigators are to begin the 16th mission to Aquarius tomorrow. Among them is British astronaut Major Tim Peake.
'It's an excellent analogue for what we do in space," the former British Army Air Corps helicopter pilot told BBC News.
'We'll even have a 50-second delay in our communications with Capcom [mission control], and friends and family.'
While astronauts have long trained in deep pools to simulate the weightlessness of working in orbit, the Neemo missions allow crews to simulate extended periods off Earth but without actually leaving the planet.
Now time for walkies: An exploring rover is lowered to the sea bed
High five: Aquanauts wave to the camera as they carry out simulated tests for a possible asteroid mission
Walking the plank: A crew membet walks along a makeshift bridge from Aquarius
We're back: After a month below water, crew members from Neemo Mission 15 return to the surface
President Barack Obama has set Nasa the target of landing a crew on an asteroid in 2025.
But first the agency is building the Space Launch System, a colossal rocket capable of putting in orbit all the tonnes of equipment that will be needed on such a venture.
The astronaut vehicle itself, known as Orion, is nearing its first test flight.
Unlike the moon or Mars, an asteroid would have little, if any, gravity to hold astronauts or vehicles, so an anchor would be necessary.
Neemo will evaluate different anchoring methods and how to connect the multiple anchors to form pathways.
Close encounter: How Nasa envisages astronauts on a Space Exploration Vehicle might stop next to an asteroid and then use jet packs to move around the surface
Asteroid mission: How an astronaut might uses a network of anchors and tethers to move around an asteroid (they've been practising in the ocean)
The aquanauts and engineers will study whether it is more efficient to join the anchors in a straight line or set them up similar to the spokes of a wagon wheel.Â
The Nasa team will spend five months analysing these concepts before rigorously testing them in October.
During these preliminary tests, the scientists will work on the ocean floor and will not stay inside the Aquarius. This will allow participants to come to the surface and retool equipment if necessary.
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I knew NASA was going through tough times, but even THEY are underwater? Good grief!
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Won't happen. NASA can't afford to send astronauts to Mars or even to the moon. They can't even afford the James Webb telescope. or the 2 free spy telescopes given to them. This is a non-story best left to scifi writers.
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can't understand why they don't ask some military submariners for tips. I have spent several months in confined spaces with limited space, issues with atmosphere control equipment, restricted food options, toilet issues, separated from family with between 6 weeks to 14 weeks delay in communications! I could go on but NASA will never phone me :(
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They pretended they landed on the moon now they are going to pretend they landed on an Asteroid..whatever next? Mars?
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DM - PLEASE proof read your headlines before publishing. In British English the noun is "Practice" with a "C" but the verb is "To Practise" with an "S" (The same is true of Licence / License) So, either you say "Nasa astronauts pictured carrying out a PRACTICE for asteroid mission" or "Nasa astronauts pictured PRACTISING for asteroid mission Practice makes pefect, so don't stop practising
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