Friday, February 18, 2005

Meatballs versus Spaceballs

The Swedish National Space Board are planning for Sweden's first manned mission to outer space. Okay, that might be a lie but it might also be true! Honestly, I don't know how the Swedish space endeavours will end but they sure are making progress in Stockholm.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Solna near Stockholm have a long experience in physiology research in microgravity and hypergravity (a human centrifuge is situated on the premises).
A group under leadership of Dag Linnarsson is studying the effects of gravity on the function of lungs and the cardiovascular system. A group led by Per Tesch is developing excersice equipment to counteract loss of muscle mass and bone minerals during prolonged spaceflight.

How funky is this?! People are spinning around like crazy and they are designing friggin' exercise bikes for space use!! Hopefully Swedish spaceball de luxe Christer Fuglesang will be the commander in chief. (Of the space ship, not the centrifuge.)

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