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Operational space medicine

Support for EAC (European Astronaut Centre)

Since 2006, under a cooperation agreement with ESA, MEDES has been providing support for operational space medicine and seconding doctors to the European Astronaut Centre, specifically for monitoring the health of astronauts during space missions.

MEDES and operational space medicine support

MEDES Historique

MEDES provides support to the EAC through a number of activities, including:

  • Medical monitoring of astronauts during space flights, in particular on the International Space Station (ISS). They are present before, during and after the flight, including the pre-launch quarantine period, as well as during astronauts’ landing and return to Europe.
  • Astronaut ‘support’ activity
    This consists in supporting the crews and their families during their space mission, as well as communicating with the ISS astronaut team at the EAC console and providing information on the procedures and experiments to be performed.
  • Work on space-based medical projects that could be useful for health on Earth.

The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) is based in Cologne, Germany, and is ESA’s primary site for astronaut training, management and medical activities. The ESA Medical Support Delegation (MedOps) at the EAC is responsible for the health, safety and well-being of European astronauts. It is in this context that the MEDES teams are involved.