Science and technology in orbit
Installed on the ISS in 2008, the Columbus laboratory offers researchers worldwide the opportunity to conduct science without the influence of gravity in fields such as fluid physics, material sciences, radiation physics, the human body, biology and astrobiology.
ESA astronauts have been flying to the International Space Station since 2001, carrying out critical assembly tasks and supporting research in areas ranging from fundamental science to advanced technology and commercial products.
Numerous experiments study the effect of gravity on biological, physical and chemical processes and how these could be used to improve daily life on Earth.
ESA trains its astronauts at the European Astronaut Centre near Cologne in Germany, where it also instructs international crew members how to operate European elements on the ISS. The current generation of ESA astronauts was selected in 2009 to prepare for the next decades of human spaceflight and exploration, to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
