ESA Bulletin 152 (Nov 2012)

ESA Bulletin 152 (Nov 2012) Living in one of the world's most extreme environments creates an ideal opportunity to study the adaptation of human psychology and physiology in conditions similar to those of long-duration spaceflight. Read online Concordia is a joint French-Italian Antarctic research station. Every year it hosts a research programme coordinated by ESA and Concordia partners. ESA-sponsored medical doctor Alex Kumar has been living there since January 2012, studying the effects of isolation, confinement and lack of sunlight on the winter-over crew of 13 European scientists and technicians. Antarctica is just one of several 'space analogues', or environments that can be used to mimic elements of spaceflight on Earth. In 'Home Alone' , we look at history of these studies and how ESA is using these environments to prepare its astronauts and trainers for the real thing. Nestled beside the dunes of Noordwijk, on the Netherlands' North Sea coast, is ESTEC - the European Space Research and Technology Centre - the largest space centre in Europe.