James Talacek

Talacek grew up in Clayton, North Carolina. He earned his first diving certification while attending UNCW. Talacek subsequently worked in construction. In 1993 he was hired as an underwater bridge inspector by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) Underwater Unit, gaining experience in underwater construction and surface-supplied diving. While employed by NC DOT, Talacek earned his Commercial Diving Supervisor certification. He also earned a United States Coast Guard Captain's license and Divemaster certification. Talacek began running dive charters on weekends from Carolina Beach. During his last six months working for NC DOT, Talacek served as diving supervisor for a dive team stationed at the Outer Banks.

Talacek serves as Oceanographic Field Operations Manager at Aquarius Reef Base for the National Undersea Research Center (NURC). In this position he serves as diving supervisor, Aquarius lead habitat technician, boat captain and Divemaster. Talacek is a certified trimix diver, emergency medical technician (EMT) and advanced diver medic (DMT-A).{{cite web|url=http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2002/09_2002/Talacek.htm|title=Aquarius - James Talacek|last=Talacek|first=James|publisher=University of North Carolina Wilmington|date=September 2002|access-date=March 20, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211123837/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2002/09_2002/Talacek.htm|archive-date=December 11, 2012}} During his first ten-day saturation diving mission aboard Aquarius in July 2001, Talacek commented, "It's really special to see things that only a small group of people ever get to see. I now understand why everyone on our crew is so anxious to work these saturation missions, because I too am loving every minute!"{{cite web|url=http://www.nurc.net/blog/july-2001-saturation/james-talacek-mission-day-5 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222004916/http://www.nurc.net/blog/july-2001-saturation/james-talacek-mission-day-5 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-22 |title=James Talacek: Mission Day 5 |last=Talacek |first=James |date=July 2001 |publisher=National Undersea Research Center |access-date=March 20, 2012 }}

As a habitat technician during Aquarius missions, Talacek's responsibilities include habitat operations and maintenance, including carrying out dives to maintain the exterior of the habitat. He also monitors life support systems, communicates with the crew on shore, and acts as a divemaster for the scientists aboard Aquarius.{{cite web|url=http://www.nurc.net/blog/october-2008-saturation/being-an-aquarius-habitat-technician |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112085920/http://www.nurc.net/blog/october-2008-saturation/being-an-aquarius-habitat-technician |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-12 |title=Being an Aquarius Habitat Technician |last=Prager |first=Ellen |publisher=NURC |date=October 2008 |access-date=March 20, 2012 }}

Missions aboard Aquarius in which Talacek has participated have included a 2001 mission researching mantis shrimp,{{cite journal|journal=Duke Magazine |url=http://dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/030402/age.html |title=The Age of Aquarius |last=Jutte |first=Pam Cox |volume=88 |issue=3 |date=March–April 2002 |publisher=Duke University |access-date=March 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022164707/http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/030402/age.html |archive-date=October 22, 2010 }} a September 2007 coral reef research mission called "If Reefs Could Talk",{{cite web|url=http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/141/74/ |title=UNC News - UNC marine scientists to teach classes live from underwater |date=September 12, 2007 |publisher=News Services, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |access-date=March 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214192901/http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/141/74/ |archive-date=February 14, 2012 }}{{cite web|url=http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2007/09_2007/prof.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211123344/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2007/09_2007/prof.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 11, 2012 |title=Aquanaut Profiles - Mission & Project Info - NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base |author=NOAA |date=May 18, 2010 |publisher=University of North Carolina Wilmington |access-date=March 26, 2012 }} and a June 2006 mission with the U.S. Navy Specialized Research Diving Detachment (SRDD) during which NURC divers investigated the possibility of using rebreathers during excursions from Aquarius.{{cite web|url=http://www.nurc.net/blog/june-2006-saturation-leg-1/james-talacek-mission-day-4-friday-june-9th-2006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222032927/http://www.nurc.net/blog/june-2006-saturation-leg-1/james-talacek-mission-day-4-friday-june-9th-2006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 22, 2013 |last=Talacek |first=James |title=James Talacek: Mission Day 5: Saturday, June 10th, 2006 |date=June 10, 2006 |publisher=NURC |access-date=March 26, 2012 }} In August 2009, during the investigation of the death of Aquarius aquanaut Dewey Smith, Talacek took part in an underwater test in which he operated the hydraulic hammer in use near Smith at the time of his fatal accident in the vicinity of an Inspiration closed circuit rebreather (CCR) similar to the one Smith had been using.{{cite web|url=http://aaus.memberclicks.net/ccboard/10100473_1322493065940.pdf |title=External Review Board Report of Findings and Recommendations |publisher=American Academy of Underwater Sciences |date=August 27, 2009 |page=42 (Appendix G) |access-date=July 16, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In July 2012 Talacek served as Lead Habitat Technician for "50 Years of Living Beneath the Sea", an expedition commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I project and co-led by Dr. Sylvia Earle.{{cite web|url=http://aquarius.uncw.edu/missions/2012/00_2012/prof |title=Aquanaut Team |year=2012 |publisher=University of North Carolina Wilmington |access-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714121508/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/missions/2012/00_2012/prof |archive-date=July 14, 2012 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.nurc.net/blog/uncategorized/celebrating-50-years-of-living-beneath-the-sea-a-personal-perspective |title=A Personal Perspective on 50 Years of Living Beneath the Sea |last=Rosser |first=Saul |date=July 2012 |publisher=NURC |access-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721131347/http://www.nurc.net/blog/uncategorized/celebrating-50-years-of-living-beneath-the-sea-a-personal-perspective |archive-date=July 21, 2012 }}

Image:NEEMO5.jpg, Emma Hwang; Middle: Peggy Whitson, Clayton Anderson; Bottom: Talacek, Ryan Snow.]]

Talacek has taken part as a habitat technician in eight of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) missions, a series of NASA-NOAA missions which use Aquarius as an analog environment for space exploration. Talacek served as a habitat technician during the following missions:

• NEEMO 4: September 23–27, 2002{{cite web|url=http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2002/09_2002/expd.htm |title=Aquarius - mission & project info : mission summary |date=May 17, 2010 |publisher=University of North Carolina Wilmington |access-date=March 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415110453/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2002/09_2002/expd.htm |archive-date=April 15, 2012 }}{{Cite web|url=http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=213 |title=Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment |access-date=March 10, 2012 |publisher=NASA |date=April 21, 2011 |author=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |author-link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322172426/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=213 |archive-date=March 22, 2012 }}
• NEEMO 5: June 16–29, 2003{{cite web|url=http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2003/06_2003/expd.htm|title=Aquarius - First Space Station Science Officer Leads Crew of Four NASA Aquanauts On 14-Day NOAA Aquarius Undersea Mission|date=May 17, 2010|publisher=University of North Carolina Wilmington|access-date=March 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212085025/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2003/06_2003/expd.htm|archive-date=December 12, 2012}}{{cite book|last=Kamler|first=Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Kamler|title=Surviving the Extremes: A Doctor's Journey to the Limits of Human Endurance|pages=[https://archive.org/details/survivingextreme00kenn/page/238 238]–240|year=2004|location=New York|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=0-312-28077-7|url=https://archive.org/details/survivingextreme00kenn|url-access=registration}}
• NEEMO 7: October 11–21, 2004{{Cite web|url=http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=243&string=NEEMO%207&CURRENT_STRING2=NEEMO%207|title=Life Sciences Data Archive : Experiment|access-date=March 10, 2012|publisher=NASA|date=April 21, 2011|author=NASA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405052428/http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/mission/miss.cfm?mis_index=243&string=NEEMO%207&CURRENT_STRING2=NEEMO%207|archive-date=2012-04-05|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/templates/SIGNAL_Article_Template.asp?articleid=695&zoneid=128 |title=Telehealth Soars From Sea to Shining Stars |first=Maryann |last=Lawlor |date=March 2005 |access-date=March 15, 2012 |publisher=SIGNAL Magazine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405063456/http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/templates/SIGNAL_Article_Template.asp?articleid=695&zoneid=128 |archive-date=April 5, 2012 }}
• NEEMO 12: May 7–18, 2007{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/NEEMO12/index.html|title=NEEMO 12|access-date=March 10, 2012|publisher=NASA|date=May 17, 2007|author=NASA}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/NEEMO12/topside_journal_1.html|title=NASA - NEEMO 12 Topside Journal|access-date=March 10, 2012|publisher=NASA|date=May 6, 2007|author=NEEMO 12 Topside Team|archive-date=November 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106230018/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/NEEMO12/topside_journal_1.html|url-status=dead}}Malik, T (2007) 'Undersea NASA Expedition a Success'. http://www.space.com/3823-undersea-nasa-expedition-success.html
• NEEMO 14: May 10–23, 2010{{Cite web

|url=http://www.nurc.net/blog/category/neemo-14

|title=Archive for the 'NEEMO 14' Mission

|access-date=March 10, 2012

|publisher=National Undersea Research Center

|year=2010

|author=Alexander, Aaron

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328135239/http://www.nurc.net/blog/category/neemo-14

|archive-date=March 28, 2012

}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/NEEMO14/topside_01.html|title=NASA - NEEMO 14 Topside Report No. 1, May 7, 2010|access-date=March 10, 2012|publisher=NASA|date=May 7, 2010|author=NASA|archive-date=December 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224183628/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/NEEMO14/topside_01.html|url-status=dead}}

• NEEMO 15: October 20–26, 2011{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/sep/HQ_11-309_NEEMO.html|title=NASA - NASA Announces 15th Undersea Exploration Mission Date And Crew|access-date=March 10, 2012|publisher=NASA|date=September 19, 2011|author=NASA}}{{cite web|url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.rss.html?id=1579 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202183610/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.rss.html?id=1579 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 2, 2013 |title=A Pre-Mission Conversation With NASA NEEMO Aquanaut Steve Squyres |last=Cowing |first=Keith |date=October 17, 2011 |publisher=SpaceRef Interactive Inc |access-date=March 14, 2012 }}{{cite news | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/science-fiction-becomes-r_b_1033251 | title=Steven Miller, PhD.: Science Fiction Becomes Reality: Asteroids and the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory |last1=Miller| first1=Steven |last2=Emerson | first2=Peter| work=HuffPost | date=October 26, 2011}}
• NEEMO 16: June 11–22, 2012{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/659661main_Topside-Report-MD02-Final.pdf|title=NEEMO 16 Mission Day 2 - Status Report|author=The NEEMO Mission Management and Topside Support Team|date=June 12, 2012|publisher=NASA|access-date=June 13, 2012|archive-date=June 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604035800/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/659661main_Topside-Report-MD02-Final.pdf|url-status=dead}}
• NEEMO 18: July 21–29, 2014{{Cite web|date=2014-07-29|title=NASA Wraps its 1st Undersea Expedition in Two Years|url=https://spacenews.com/41432nasa-wraps-its-1st-undersea-expedition-in-two-years/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=SpaceNews|language=en-US}}

In May 2007, Talacek and other NURP/UNCW divers, including fellow Aquarius divers Mark Hulsbeck and Jim Buckley, set up a coral monitoring station pylon offshore from the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory in Discovery Bay, Jamaica for a cooperative program among Caribbean countries called Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC). The station was part of NOAA's Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON).{{cite web|url=http://ecoforecast.coral.noaa.gov/index/0/DBJM1/station-home|title=NOAA - ICON - DBJM1 - Station-Home|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=March 23, 2012}} The station was subsequently destroyed during Hurricane Paloma in November 2008.{{cite web|url=http://dbjm1-log.blogspot.com/|title=DBJM1 ICON/CREWS Field Log|last3=Manzello|first3=Derek|last4=Jankulak|first4=Mike|last2=Gramer|first2=Lew|last1=Hendee|first1=Jim|date=December 16, 2008|publisher=Google|access-date=March 23, 2012}}

Talacek is an enthusiastic skydiver, having made more than 400 jumps as of 2012. He has also made two BASE jumps,{{cite web|url=http://aquarius.uncw.edu/missions/2011/08_2011/j_talacek |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121210124456/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/missions/2011/08_2011/j_talacek |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-12-10 |title=Profiles - NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base - James Talacek |last=Talacek |first=James |publisher=University of North Carolina Wilmington |date=August 2011 |access-date=July 18, 2012 }} although he once commented that "it's hard to find places where it is legal to jump." Talacek also enjoys spearfishing, mudding, boating, riding motorcycles and inline skating. He married his wife, Holly, in 2012.

{{Commons category|James Talacek}}

{{Reflist|33em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121209190644/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/missions/2012/00_2012/j_talacek Talacek's self-profile (2012)]
• [https://archive.today/20121211123837/http://aquarius.uncw.edu/archive/2002/09_2002/Talacek.htm September 2002 self-profile]
• [http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17335077 Video of Q&A with Renaissance Charter School (September 2011)]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pttkElSNRzU Video interview with NEEMO 15 crew (October 2011)]

{{Underwater diving|unddiv}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Talacek, James}}

Category:Living people

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Category:American underwater divers

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Category:People from Charlotte, North Carolina

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Category:University of North Carolina at Wilmington people

Category:1970 births

Category:People from Clayton, North Carolina