Four astronauts are participating in a nine-day NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 18 mission, where they will perform underwater "spacewalks" to simulate the conditions of a manned asteroid landing.

Tests are being conducted 19 meters beneath the surface and five kilometers off Key Largo.

 "We'll be testing out those tools if we did go to an asteroid," said Jeanette Epps, one of the astronauts on the NEEMO 18 crew, according to the space agency.

The test is centered on a 10 minute communication delay, which simulates the delay of the crew being farther from the Earth than our planet is from the sun.

Each astronaut conducts a "space walk" during the ten minute communication delay from ground control, according to the space agency.

NASA officials want to send astronauts to an asteroid robotically pulled into orbit around the moon by no later than the mid-2020s.

Though the mission is a simulation, malfunctions do occur occasionally.

Communication problems between Mission Control and the "spacewalkers" affected operations earlier in the mission, according to NASA astronaut Vande Hei.

"Thomas and I were supposed to spend the entire time doing experiments, while Aki and Jeannette were doing the spacewalk, but because of the communications problems, I had to abort my science," he said, according to the space agency. "Thomas went ahead and did them all, which was great, and I focused on the spacewalks."

There are a number of similarities to space in this confined environment, ranging from the need to balance science tasks with maintenance tasks, to living together in close quarters.

When asked by a journalist how space relations are with Russia amid the Ukraine crisis, the astronauts said that all was well and that working together is essential in space.

"I hope the future holds a lot of cooperation," Vande Hei said. "The fact we have an international program to explore space has helped us keep the program going between administrators, and regardless of what is going on politically."

Experiments for the missions started on July 21, ranging from physical to behavioral experiments.

Though space is tight in the habitat, Epps confirmed that there is a big cubbyhole where astronauts can store personal items to make sure they aren't deprived of anything.

Crew members also have phone and internet service to talk with family and friends.

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