Editor's note: the following note and photo were sent by the NASA NEEMO-9 crew, currently located within the Aquarius habitat off the coast of Key Largo, to Erin Peterson, currently flat on her back as part of a 3 month NASA bedrest study at the Cleveland Clinic.

Hi Erin.

Greetings from the NEEMO 9 crew spending the last night of our 18 day mission aboard the Aquarius habitat 60 feet below the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Key Largo.  We were very interested to read about your sleep study adventure.  Seems like a pretty extreme environment that you've been living in for the past couple months as well.  We've had a mission filled with successful research associated with telemedicine and lunar surface exploration ----  we know that the research you've been participating in will also help support future space exploration.  We're thankful for all you've been doing and we wish you all the best!

NEEMO 9 Crew

Aquanauts Dave Williams, Tim Broderick, Ron Garan, Nicole Stott, Jim Buckley, and Ross Hein Picture attached with us in our bunks during the O2 protocol portion of our decompression tonight.  We splashup tomorrow morning.

Related links

NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) project

"Three NASA astronauts and a Cincinnati doctor are living and working under the ocean this month to test space medicine concepts and moon-walking techniques."

Star Dust Holiday (Erin Peterson's Blog)

"I'm currently participating in the NASA-sponsored bedrest study at the Cleveland Clinic. these are the chronicles of three full months of bedrest, in addition to the craziness leading up to it, and the who knows what afterwards."

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