[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6161\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow to slow down space-ageing\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpace tourism may soon become a reality. And scientists are looking forward to the first manned missions to other planets, such as Mars.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut in our extra-terrestrial quest, we sometimes forget just how well adapted we are to life on our planet \u2013 and how poorly equipped for surviving in space. We need the oxygen of earth\u2019s atmosphere for example, and gravity keeps our bones and blood circulation healthy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAstronauts\u2019 bodies can age prematurely as a result of spending months away from our planet. The lack of gravity can continue to affect them back on earth, where they suffer from poor blood pressure regulation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut all is not lost, as pioneering scientists are already finding ways to help astronauts \u2013 and in doing so, they may also help space tourists and even ordinary people back on earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Carole Leguy, from DLR, the German Aerospace Center, is working on an EU-funded project called Arthero-Space, studying the effects of lack of gravity on people\u2019s bodies, specifically blood circulation.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018By helping astronauts we wish to help people on earth.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Carole Leguy, DLR-Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Cologne\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn earth, gravity pulls our blood towards our legs, whereas in space more blood goes to the upper body. This reduces total blood volume, so when the astronauts return and their blood rushes to their legs, this can leave them faint.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When the astronauts come back to earth, they are not able to maintain their blood pressure, and then they will faint, won\u2019t be able to stand for (a) long time, and that really impairs their working capacity,\u2019 she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELand on Mars\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis could be troublesome for any manned mission to other planets. \u2018It could be very dramatic if they need to land on Mars, for example, and they need to sustain one third of earth gravity when standing\u0026nbsp;\u2013 you don\u2019t want them to be weak at that point, you don\u2019t want them to faint.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a way to counteract this, Dr Leguy and the DLR team\u0026nbsp;are working out how best to use a human centrifuge that is shorter than usual in order to produce artificial gravity inside a space ship and help astronauts stay healthy. In space, the centrifuge would spin around, possibly powered by a cycling astronaut - which would also help them exercise and keep healthy - providing a gravity gradient towards the feet as it spins. It works a bit like a carousel on a children\u2019s playground, as it spins the blood rushes to outer parts of your body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Human centrifuges could be used to create artificial gravity in space\u0022 height=\u0022798\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/Human%20centrifuge.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Human centrifuges could be used to create artificial gravity in space\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EHuman centrifuges could be used to create artificial gravity in space\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003EHuman centrifuges have been used for decades to train astronauts to tolerate the hypergravity generated during space launches. More recently, they are being investigated as a means of creating artificial gravity in space. Image credit: DLR.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo understand what happens to our blood vessels and the properties of their walls during a long-term space mission, she is planning to study arterial aging processes during\u0026nbsp;a bedrest study\u0026nbsp;led by the European space Agency. During such studies, participants lie in bed for extended periods of time because the posture mimics some of the effects of low gravity on the human body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKnowing how to help returning astronauts could also help treat age-related illnesses and high blood pressure among people who have no plans for space travel. \u2018Techniques used for space research and exploration always end up having applications to earth,\u2019 said Dr Leguy. \u2018By helping astronauts we wish to help people on earth.\u2019\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003ERobotic helper\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve all seen how bulky and awkward Neil Armstrong looked just walking on the surface of the Moon. Now imagine flying over to Mars, moving around its surface and doing detailed work \u2013 it would be quite tricky.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn EU-funded project called Moonwalk, run by Dr Thomas V\u00f6gele, from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, is designing robots that can help astronauts perform difficult tasks on other planets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe robots look similar to today\u2019s \u2018rovers\u2019, small vehicles that researchers send into space on their own. The trick for Dr V\u00f6gele\u2019s team is to develop a robot that astronauts can control from inside their bulky suits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You can\u2019t steer a robot with a joystick so you have to look into ways to control it differently,\u2019 said Dr V\u00f6gele. \u2018Speech control would be an option, or a wrist pad. Gesture is another option that we\u2019re looking into. The idea is that you can give signals to the robot and it helps you.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-tmite01rdpnw4aqiup45ukc9p0du9koej4wtohjkffw\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-tMItE01rdPnW4AQiuP45Ukc9P0DU9koej4wToHJKFFw\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]