Life in space: An introduction to space life sciences and the International Space Station

The impact of the space environment upon living organisms is profound. Its effects range from alterations in sub-cellular processes to changes in the structure and function of whole organ systems. As the number of astronaut a nd cosmonaut crews flown in space has grown, so to has our understanding of the effects of the space environment upon biological systems. There are ma ny parallels between the physiology of space flight and terrestrial disease processes, and the response of astronaut crews themselves to long-duration space deployment is therefore of central interest. In the next 15 years the International Space Station (ISS) will serve as a permanently manned dedicated life and physical sciences platform for the fu rther investigation of these phenomena. The European Space Agency's Columbu s module will hold the bulk of the ISS life science capability and, in comb ination with NASA's Human Research Facility (HRF) will accommodate the rack mounted experimental apparatus. The programme of experimentation will incl ude efforts in fundamental biology, human physiology, behavioural science a nd space biomedical research. In the four decades since Yuri Gagarin first orbited the Earth, space life science has emerged as a field of study in its own right. The ISS takes us into the next era of human space exploration, and it is hoped that its prog ramme of research will yield new insights, novel therapeutic interventions, and improved biotechnology for terrestrial application.