United space in Europe
In bed for space
Science & Exploration

In bed for space

21/09/2017 462 views 0 likes 384100 ID
  • HI-RES JPG [615.07 kB]

Thank you for liking

You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!

Bedrest volunteers during a study at the MEDES space clinic in Toulouse, France. Volunteers lie in beds with the head end tilted down 6º for months, keeping at least one shoulder on their bed at all times. Intense bedrest such is this is no fun: muscles and bones waste away, and the tilted beds makes blood and fluids move to the head – similar to the changes astronauts endure in space.

As all animals on Earth, humans have evolved to live in gravity so finding ways to stay healthy in weightlessness is important for further exploration of our Solar System. To test new exercise regimes, diets and understand what happens to astronauts, ESA conducts regular bedrest studies that simulate the effects of weightlessness on the human body.

  • CNES/MEDES–E.Grimault, 2017
  • Human Spaceflight
Bedrest
Science & Exploration

Bedrest

Image 662 views 0 likes
Reading during bedrest study
Science & Exploration

Reading during bedrest study

Image 474 views 1 likes
Heart ultrasound
Science & Exploration

Heart ultrasound

Image 408 views 0 likes
Bedrest scan
Science & Exploration

Bedrest scan

Image 841 views 6 likes
Eye test
Science & Exploration

Bedrest eye test

Image 711 views 2 likes