European Space Agency Asks These 20 Women To Lie On Water Beds For Five Days

The ESA study aimed to investigate the effects of microgravity on the body. (photo: doc. European Space Agency (ESA))

JAKARTA - A study in France made 20 women as volunteers spend time lying in bed for five days. The research was carried out at the Medes space clinic in Toulouse, France, which was created by the European Space Agency (ESA).

This study is the first in Europe. ESA decided to launch a study, called Vivaldi, to address the gender gap in data science.

“There is almost no knowledge of the physiological and psychological effects on women in this research area. An all-female dry-immersion study will add to previous men's campaigns running in Europe and Russia," said ESA discipline leader for life sciences, Angelique Van Ombergen.

However, usually most research in this area, like most research in aerospace medicine, has only been done on men. With the increasing number of women involved in spaceflight, there is a need to conduct more specific research on their experiences.

Quoted from Digital Trends, Monday, September 27, the study aimed to investigate the effects of microgravity on the body using a technique called dry immersion. One of the best ways to simulate weightless space on Earth is to use water.

That's why astronauts train for space travel in what's basically a giant swimming pool. But the women couldn't stay in the water for long to see the effect it had on their bodies for days instead of hours.

So the study worked with a bed filled with water. The volunteers lay in a giant bathtub, but the water was covered in a waterproof cloth. In this way, they are not in direct contact with the water but still support their bodies in a similar way to what astronauts experience when they leave Earth's gravity.

They spend nearly 24 hours a day at the bottom of the water, with very limited body movement. Microgravity is known to have a variety of effects on the body, from muscle courts, where human muscles don't need to work to support their bodies, to fluid redistribution when fluid collects in the upper body. There are also psychological effects of restricted motion in monotonous environments that are important to understand.

As well as helping researchers to understand more about what the body experiences in microgravity, this research could also help people on Earth. Such as understanding the psychological and physical needs of patients with movement disorders or those who are immobile or elderly.