ESA tests effects of space on all-female crew submerged in water for 5 days

The European Space Agency (ESA) recently concluded a unique experiment at the Medes Space clinic in Toulouse, France where 20 women tucked themselves in a waterbed to prepare for the forthcoming space missions. Starting on September 23, the project lasted five days where scientists created a simulated environment to study the effects of spaceflight using the dry immersion method. Interestingly, ESA’s intention with this all-female group was to minimise the gender gap in space science.  

What is the dry immersion technique?

According to ESA, this technique requires a bed that is similar to a bathtub that creates simulations of spaceflight by containing a volunteer in suspension (signifying weightlessness) for a specific period of time. This aspect of spaceflight is considered significant as weightlessness causes human bodies to lose muscle and bone density along with changes in the eyes and fluid shifts in the brain.

As per ESA, this technique is highly beneficial for it mimics the conditions similar to that in the International Space Station as bodies of the volunteers experience less pressure and float in the tub.

The all-female experiment

The agency informed that this unique study called 'Validation of the Dry Immersion' or 'Vivaldi' is the first second dry immersion campaign for Europe and only the second with an all-female crew. 

Here the volunteers were made to float in the tub on their back for a total of five days with their legs and torso were covered with cotton sheets and they only had their head and arms free. The participants were to complete all tasks including leisure and hygiene in constraints and were given only a pillow beneath their heads while eating. Moreover, the volunteers were also allowed to shower outside of the tank but that too while laying on their back, revealed the agency. During the entire period of the study, scientists took urine and blood samples of the volunteers on a daily basis to analyse the adaption underwent by the bodies. The agency said that results from this study will not only help those floating in space but also benefit those who are bedridden for a long time here on Earth. 

(Image: @ESASPACEFLIGHT/Twitter)