Missions to the moon and Mars are increasingly attracting interest in the field of manned space travel. What does this mean for researchers and space travelers? This question was the focus of the latest “Future Lecture” at Hamburg University of Technology in October. A particular highlight of the event was that TU Hamburg was able to welcome Dr. Markus Braun from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as a guest speaker.
Learning from the Moon and Mars for the Earth
In his presentation, Dr. Braun, who works as Programme Manager for Biosciences at the DLR Space Agency Research and Exploration, spoke about how German research on the International Space Station as well as on satellites and parabolic flights provides insights for improving life on Earth - especially for health and mobility in an ageing society.
In line with the German government's space strategy, the DLR Space Agency coordinates the life sciences space program, which supports German research projects and provides access to flight opportunities and the development of necessary instruments. The research covers the fundamentals of life on Earth, its origin and evolution in the universe, as well as the effects of changing gravity on humans. In his presentation, Dr. Braun gave an overview of current research activities and future exploration missions.
TU Hamburg wants to close gaps in the market
Junior Professor Ulf Kulau, Head of the Smart Sensors Group, then gave an insight into the research work of the “Sensor Systems under Space Conditions” department at TU Hamburg. The focus was on “Space Patch”, a sensor system for monitoring the health of astronauts.
“The environmental conditions in space have a strong influence on the physiology of astronauts. Continuous health monitoring is therefore essential,” says Kulau. The method of seismocardiography (SCG), which can be used on a sensor system to derive comprehensive data on the cardiovascular condition during space missions, among other things, offers potential. However, such sensors must be small, lightweight, portable and, above all, reliable. One major problem is cosmic radiation, which has a major impact on the reliability of electronic systems outside of low-Earth orbit.
In his presentation, Kulau first outlined the challenging environmental conditions in space and the resulting requirements for miniaturized sensor systems, followed by the research of the Smart Sensors Group at TU Hamburg. In the “Space Patch” project, current contributions in relation to SCG wearables, i.e. portable sensors, for space missions are presented. “Wearables for everyday astronautical life on the moon and Mars have not been the focus of much research to date, as radiation effects on the ISS, for example, are significantly lower,” says Kulau. “In future deep space missions to the Moon and Mars, however, it will no longer be possible to rely exclusively on commercial solutions. With “SpacePatch”, we want to make our contribution to closing this gap.”
About the “Future Lectures” series
In the public “Future Lectures”, TU Hamburg researchers and guests present their forward-looking research topics and ideas. The aim is to explain the challenges facing society and research, as well as the positive changes that research at TU Hamburg could initiate in society.
You can find out more about Prof. Kulau's research here: https: //www3.tuhh.de/e-exk3/Research/AuRelia/ and https://www3.tuhh.de/e-exk3/Research/SArES/
You can read more about “SpacePatch” here: https://event.dlr.de/ila2024/spacepatch/
The recordings of all previous “Future Lectures” can be found here: https://www.tuhh.de/tuhh/forschung-und-transfer/future-lectures
