BIOMEDICAL-ENGINEERING AND SPACE

Space missions offer a unique opportunity to study the influence of gravity on the physiological systems, and this knowledge is mandatory to control medical risks of space-flights. Biomedical devices used in microgravity for fundamental research, medical check-up and also for counter-measures have to meet several technical requirements, such as safety, reliability, mass and volume limitation, low power consumption, and operation in space environment. More and more there is need for developing multi-user facilities, compatible with several space transportation; systems. Practical examples from French-Soviet flight programs Aragatz and Antares are given. Beside the scientific and technical aspects, space related biomedical activities induce commercial spin-offs illustrated through the echograph programm.