The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Seventies science-fiction or science experiment? Not an actor or space traveller, this ‘pillownaut’ might not have his feet on firm ground, but he is simulating spaceflight by spending three weeks in bed.
Our bodies adapt to long periods spent lying in bed at 6° below the horizontal as if they were flying in weightlessness. Muscles and bones waste away and when a mission or bedrest campaign ends, the body needs many days to return to form. Studying this process on bedrest volunteers is a lot cheaper and easier than collecting information on astronauts
The mask in this photo is part of a system to estimate energy requirements. It measures how much oxygen is consumed and how much carbon dioxide is exhaled by the volunteer. These measurements allow scientists to get an idea of the relationship between food, the lungs and the energy consumption when at rest.