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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Astronauts’ muscles weaken in orbit, much like they do as people grow old. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is helping a team of medical scientists on Earth to identify how muscle mass is lost and how to prevent it.
After receiving a fresh delivery of science from the SpaceX Dragon vehicle in time for Christmas, Matthias sorted synthetic muscle cells the size of a grain of rice inside the Kubik minilab for incubation at 37°C. Part of these cells will be electrically stimulated to trigger contractions in weightlessness, while others will experience artificial gravity via centrifugation.
Researchers of the MicroAge project will monitor how the tissue responds to microgravity and accelerated ageing processes. This could one day help people to better maintain their strength and mobility into old age.
MicroAge is led by a team of medical scientists based at the University of Liverpool, funded by the UK Space Agency and enabled by the UK’s ESA membership, which gives British academics access to several cutting-edge research facilities, including the International Space Station.