Speleology Speleology Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). The term "speleology" is also sometimes applied to the recreational activity of exploring caves, but this is more properly known as "caving" or "potholing", or (not usually by participants) by the uncommon American term "spelunking". Speleology and caving are often connected, as the physical skills required for "in situ" study are the same. Speleology is a cross-disciplinary field that combines the knowledge of chemistry, biology, geology, physics,
Exploration Systems Architecture Study Exploration Systems Architecture Study The Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) is the official title of a large-scale, system level study released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in November 2005 in response to American president George W. Bush's announcement on January 14, 2004 of his goal of returning astronauts to the Moon and eventually Mars — known as the Vision for Space Exploration (and unofficially as "Moon, Mars and Beyond" in some aerospace circles, though the specifics of a manned "beyond" program remain vague). Recent (2005–2009) NASA Administrator Michael Griffin ordered a number of changes in the originally