Caves 2014 Team on the last day of their adventure. Credits: ESA\S.Sechi
It has been a fantastic adventure again. Here is what we captured from the CAVES 2014 crew as they prepared to come back to the surface, and as they saw the light again.
Here are all CAVES 2014 Mission Logs:
Mission Log Day 1 – Alexander Misurkin – Campsite Manager
Mission Log Day 2 – Matthias Maurer – Scientist
Mission Log Day 3 – Luca Parmitano – Commander
Mission Log Day 4 – Scott Tingle – Photo Engineer
Mission Log Day 5 – Sergey Kud-Sverchkov – Survey Engineer
Loredana Bessone
Photo/Video Team “Gets the Shot” at ESA CAVES 2014
Riccardo De Luca taking pictures during the climbing training session. Credits: ESA\C.Corongiu
Traversing through the tremendous caves in Sardinia, Italy is challenging and can be very dangerous. Creating a training exercise for astronauts, cosmonauts, flight controllers, engineers and human space flight professionals within this unforgiving environment presents many additional requirements and challenges. Two of these challenges are instructing the CAVES participants in photography and documenting the training exercise itself.
Documenting CAVES training exercises with still photography and video must be completed professionally and efficiently. While the CAVES participants are struggling to meet their challenges in this new and strange environment, the ESA CAVES photographers are traversing through the cave either faster than the participants or through alternate routes in order to be properly positioned for the perfect shot. This implies expert caving skills combined with expert photography skills – getting the perfect shot in a variety of conditions can be incredibly challenging and dangerous. Tight squeezes where only single bodies can fit, or large galleries where a flash will not reach the opposing wall make this job one of the most extreme positions that only a fellow adventurer could aspire.
Aerial views with drone. Credits: ESA\R.De Luca
The ESA CAVES 2014 Photo/Video Team consistently exceeds this challenge and always “gets the shot!”. It is amazing to watch them scurry around to achieve the perfect position for the perfect shot. Some of the pictures below show how creative and capable this team can be. Their skills are second-best to no one, and their work has been highlighted on several TV shows and within countless publications.
The ESA CAVES 2014 Photo/Video Team includes Sirio Sechi, Riccardo De Luca, Vittorio Crobu with the support of Carla Corongiu. They have a combined experience of over 75 years in photography and over 60 years in caving. You can view their current work on Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, the ESA CAVES website and this blog. I’m here to tell you – they are absolutely incredible!
Scott “Maker” Tingle
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