NASA Reverses Direction to Help Rescue Chilean Miners

In watching the emotional coverage of the Chilean miner rescue last night, my ears perked up when I heard one news anchor say, “…and NASA played
a key role in helping to save these guys.”

So I did a quick Google search and found a great blog post by Examiner astronomer Paul Heckert:

“How NASA Helped Rescue Chilean Miners Near Copiapó, Chile”

Here are a few quick notes on Heckert’s explanation of NASA’s role:

• A NASA team of two physicians, a psychologist, and an engineer visited Chile on August 31 to provide technical assistance.
• The two NASA physicians, Michael Duncan and J.D. Polk, and psychologist Al Holland made recommendations on how the trapped miners could stay
  healthy while confined 2,300 feet under Copiapó. For example, the NASA
  experts recommended, among other things, regular exercise, staying on
  the normal 24-hour sleep cycle, and staying busy. They also recommended
  that the miners stay involved in their own rescue efforts rather than
  wait passively.
• NASA engineer Clint Cragg also traveled to Chile to help provide technical expertise. Cragg’s experience on Navy submarines also helped him provide recommendations
  for keeping the miners healthy.

Read the full post here @ my HuffingtonPost Blog