NASA team treks to Mt. Qomolangma region on research mission

KATHMANDU, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A team of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) officials has arrived in Kathmandu on a visit to the Mt. Qomolangma region.

A report of local newspaper The Himalayan Times said on Sunday, "The team members said they would contribute to the research activities of the NASA. They, however, said their trip was not official."

NASA Orion Landing System Integration Manager and leader of the expedition Chris J. Johnson said there are doctors, pilots and scientists in the 11-member team.

"Steve Vander Ark, section manager of the NASA Behavioral Health and Performance Group said NASA scientist Jake Maule and he wanted to do some serious research to help the astronauts," the report said.

Equipped with the Actiwatch and Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System, the team members would record the sleeping and waking movements and light exposure of the subjects, Steve said, adding that the Lab-On-a-Chip, which detects bacteria and fungi on surfaces inside the International Space Station, will be used to look for snow algae.

"We will meet former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski at the base camp," Chris said, adding that Scott will conquer Mt. Qomolangma soon.

If his attempt is successful, Scott will become the first person ever to have gazed up at space from the pinnacle of Earth's tallest mountain, and gazed down on that same pinnacle from the black vacuum of space.

Chris said the team chose Nepali mountains to trek as Nepal has been known as the best tourist destination in the world. Chris said he, along with a few friends, were also on a NASA's unofficial Mt. Qomolangma expedition last year.

Steve said trekking to the base camp will be comparable in some ways to what astronauts face while engaging in a long spacewalk or an excursion on the surface of the moon or Mars. Mt. Qomolangma provides a good space analog, he added.

Maule said the team's search would benefit future space travelers. The outcomes of the research would aid future research projects of the NASA, he said.

According to Maule, their research could help scientists develop efficient procedures for future field studies on moon and Mars.

Arriving in the Nepali capital Kathmandu on Sunday, the team will leave for Lukla in the south side of Mt. Qomolangma on Monday and is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on May 2, said Ram Sapkota, manager of Samrat Tours and Travels, the local co-organizer of the trekking team.