spacecrafts like Shenzhou has further expanded Germany’s spectrum of flight opportunities, and discussions about future cooperation on the planned Chinese Space
Station are currently underway.
From the very beginning in the 1970s, Germany has been the driving force for
human spaceflight as well as for related research in the life and physical sciences in
Europe. It was Germany that initiated the development of Spacelab as the European
contribution to the American Space Shuttle System, complemented by setting up a
sound national program. And today Germany continues to be the major European
contributor to the ESA programs for the ISS and its scientific utilization.
For our series, we have approached leading scientists first and foremost in
Germany, but also—since science and research are international and cooperative
endeavors—in other countries to provide us with their views and their summaries of
the accomplishments in the various fields of space life sciences research. By
presenting the current SpringerBriefs on muscle and bone physiology we start the
series with an area that is currently attracting much attention—due in no small part to
health problems such as muscle atrophy and osteoporosis in our modern aging
society. Overall, it is interesting to note that the psycho-physiological changes that
astronauts experience during their spaceflights closely resemble those of aging
people on Earth but progress at a much faster rate. Circulatory and vestibular
disorders set in immediately, muscles and bones degenerate within weeks or months,
and even the immune system is impaired. Thus, the aging process as well as certain
diseases can be studied at an accelerated pace, yielding valuable insights for the
benefit of people on Earth as well. Luckily for the astronauts: these problems slowly
disappear after their return to Earth, so that their recovery processes can also be
investigated, yielding additional valuable information.
Booklets on nutrition and metabolism, on the immune system, on vestibular and
neuroscience, on the cardiovascular and respiratory system, and on psycho-physiological human performance will follow. This separation of human physiology and
space medicine into the various research areas follows a classical division. It will
certainly become evident, however, that space medicine research pursues a highly
integrative approach, offering an example that should also be followed in terrestrial
research. The series will eventually be rounded out by booklets on gravitational and
radiation biology.
We are convinced that this series, starting with its first booklet on muscle and
bone physiology in space, will find interested readers and will contribute to the goal
of convincing the general public that research in space, especially in the life sciences,
has been and will continue to be of concrete benefit to people on Earth.
Bonn, Germany
Markus Braun
July 2014
Günter Ruyters
viii
Preface to the Series
Station are currently underway.
From the very beginning in the 1970s, Germany has been the driving force for
human spaceflight as well as for related research in the life and physical sciences in
Europe. It was Germany that initiated the development of Spacelab as the European
contribution to the American Space Shuttle System, complemented by setting up a
sound national program. And today Germany continues to be the major European
contributor to the ESA programs for the ISS and its scientific utilization.
For our series, we have approached leading scientists first and foremost in
Germany, but also—since science and research are international and cooperative
endeavors—in other countries to provide us with their views and their summaries of
the accomplishments in the various fields of space life sciences research. By
presenting the current SpringerBriefs on muscle and bone physiology we start the
series with an area that is currently attracting much attention—due in no small part to
health problems such as muscle atrophy and osteoporosis in our modern aging
society. Overall, it is interesting to note that the psycho-physiological changes that
astronauts experience during their spaceflights closely resemble those of aging
people on Earth but progress at a much faster rate. Circulatory and vestibular
disorders set in immediately, muscles and bones degenerate within weeks or months,
and even the immune system is impaired. Thus, the aging process as well as certain
diseases can be studied at an accelerated pace, yielding valuable insights for the
benefit of people on Earth as well. Luckily for the astronauts: these problems slowly
disappear after their return to Earth, so that their recovery processes can also be
investigated, yielding additional valuable information.
Booklets on nutrition and metabolism, on the immune system, on vestibular and
neuroscience, on the cardiovascular and respiratory system, and on psycho-physiological human performance will follow. This separation of human physiology and
space medicine into the various research areas follows a classical division. It will
certainly become evident, however, that space medicine research pursues a highly
integrative approach, offering an example that should also be followed in terrestrial
research. The series will eventually be rounded out by booklets on gravitational and
radiation biology.
We are convinced that this series, starting with its first booklet on muscle and
bone physiology in space, will find interested readers and will contribute to the goal
of convincing the general public that research in space, especially in the life sciences,
has been and will continue to be of concrete benefit to people on Earth.
Bonn, Germany
Markus Braun
July 2014
Günter Ruyters
viii
Preface to the Series