Talk: Why we need the International Space Station

About the talk "Why we need the International Space Station?" by Pedro Duque, astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA)

The International Space Station is a fundamental part of ESA’s activities for human spaceflight and exploration. Astronauts have been living inside the International Space Station since 2000 and experiments are conducted in research fields such as biology, human research, physics, materials, technology development and human-robot interaction. Using astronauts as test subjects has paved the way for major discoveries in human research. For example astronauts on the International Space Station seem to experience accelerated osteoporosis due to living without gravity. In 2010 and 2011 nine astronauts followed diets with different amounts of salt as researchers suspected salt might be key to limiting ”space osteoporosis”. The results showed that consuming more salt increases acidity in the body, which can accelerate bone loss. Simply eating less salt or neutralising the acidity in their bodies with an alkaline food slows bone loss. This space research can directly benefit people on Earth who are prone to osteoporosis. In 2006 astronauts were equipped with an eye-tracking device to chart how eye movements are affected by weightlessness. The eye-tracking equipment developed for space is now used in most corrective laser surgeries throughout the world. ESA astronaut Pedro Duque worked and lived in the International Space Station in 2003 and his talk will share his vision of space and personal experience.