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.