AGBRESA - Cardiac deconditioning in astronauts

During the AGBRESA study, we are studying the cardiac deconditioning that occurs during space flight. Together with colleagues from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Politecnico di Milano, and with the support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Belgian Science Policy Office, we are looking at the weakening of the heart, which can lead to an astronaut fainting upon returning to gravity after a long duration spaceflight. This is a big problem for space exploration and requires countermeasures to be implemented during such missions. Our study aims to evaluate whether artificial gravity, generated by short-arm centrifugation, could be a valid countermeasure for space exploration missions.

The weakening of the cardiac function that occurs in space is simulated by the -6° head-down tilt bed rest that the test persons maintain during their 60-day bed rest. The :envihab facility at the DLR, where this study is performed, does not only offer the possibility to accommodate 12 test subjects but is also equipped with a centrifuge and the latest cardiac MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology. :envihab is indeed a perfect laboratory, as such facilities are next to the participants’ rooms.