News

« back to home « previous news item | next news item »

– Pécs researchers’ projects at the International Space Station

Researching the brain in zero gravity, studying how microgravity affects 3D-printed structures, and building a virtual space station – these three world-class developments from Pécs show that Hungary and the University of Pécs are staking their claim in the future of space exploration. As part of the HUNOR – Hungarian Astronaut Program, researchers are looking for answers vital for long-term missions that will define the coming decades: how human perception and brain function change in space, what materials are worth producing with 3D printing at the International Space Station, and how well they can withstand extraterrestrial conditions, but as a consortium partner, they will also grow a type of pepper on the ISS that is fully edible and enriches its leaves with vitamins and trace elements that astronauts need in higher doses.

With Tibor Kapu’s launch to the International Space Station, not only Hungary, but Hungarian life sciences have also returned to space. The mission, carried out in the frame of the HUNOR program, marks not only a new era for Hungary’s space industry, but also gives Hungarian researchers the chance to study how the human body and technology behave in zero gravity. The University of Pécs is taking part with three independent and two consortium-led projects, opening new frontiers in 3D printing, brain research in zero gravity, and biomedical experiments.

ESEL3D – How will the technology of the future handle space, and can we build on it in the future?

The PTE-3D–ESEL3D research group of the University of Pécs is conducting materials science studies in the frame of the HUNOR program. The project aims to understand how space conditions – including microgravity, cosmic radiation, and the vibrations during launch and re-entry – impact the structure and mechanical and microbiological properties of 3D-printed samples. The employees of the UP 3D Printing and Visualisation Centre are working to identify which 3D-printed materials could be used to produce future space equipment and print them at the space station, also paving the way for more sustainable, locally manufactured technologies.

The samples that the Hungarian research astronaut took to space include native polymers (plastic materials) as well as polymer-carbon and polymer-metal composites. The project studies both short- and long-term effects of space by dividing the samples into two groups: Tibor Kapu will bring one back on the Axiom 4 mission, while the rest will remain on the International Space Station until December, when they are planned to return with the SpX-33 cargo vehicle. After the return of the samples, the research group will test and compare them to control samples produced on Earth.

MagyAR – Brain activity, movement, and perception in microgravity

The MagyAR (Neuromotion VR) project, also led by researchers in Pécs, is studying how cognitive and physiological functions change in space using a unique combination of technologies. The research seeks to uncover how mental performance changes during space missions and which brain and other bodily processes are involved.

Many normal functions of the human body are altered in space, and one of the main reasons is microgravity. If the body’s adaptation fails, the circulatory system can be disrupted: the heart pumps blood less effectively, and thus the nutrients and even oxygen, which is essential for life, are delivered less efficiently. The resulting increased blood volume within the skull can lead to increased pressure, and increased intracranial pressure and altered oxygenation can ultimately lead to altered mental abilities.

This highly complex study, which was a significant logistical challenge, combined virtual reality technology (VR) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive brain imaging technique that measures changes in brain oxygenation. An eye-tracking system also recorded the activity of brain regions involved in planning and executing movements.

The astronauts’ cognitive abilities and biological processes are monitored at several stages of the mission, with a focus on cerebral blood flow, and saliva samples are also used to track changes in metabolic processes. To measure mental skills such as attention, and planning and controlling movements, psychological tests are conducted in the VR environment.

Step in Space – Space research as an experience through virtual reality

The Step in Space (SiS) project, also based in Pécs, offers a VR experience of the HUNOR mission’s scientific and human sides, which will be available to the public at the HUNOR Visitor Center, the HUNIVERZUM, in Budapest.

The project is designed to engage a broad audience by offering a virtual gateway to the International Space Station, showing visitors the work and research carried out there, and daily life. An astronaut shows the ISS’s different modules and on-board experiments and shares personal experiences during the virtual tour. Interviews with Earth-based researchers provide additional background to several experiments, highlighting the challenges faced during their design and preparation, and also how they overcame them.

A space research centre to unite Pécs-based projects at the UP Medical School

The HUNOR program is not just a domestic success; it demonstrates that both Hungary’s and Hungarian researchers’ scientific potential is highly valuable globally as well. As a result, more than ten Hungarian research teams will soon have firsthand experience with space research. The research carried out at the University of Pécs deepen our understanding of the human body, contribute to preserving the astronauts’ health, and develop technologies for a future in which human presence in space is not an exception, but becomes a routine.

Looking ahead, a planned new research centre at the UP Medical School could bring together space-related research in Pécs, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. As Dr. Miklós Nyitrai, Dean of the School, has noted, the centre will be part of a ten-year scientific program, with space research as one of its focus areas. In the long term, they envision developing a space capsule capable of diagnosing and treating injured or ill astronauts autonomously, without the presence of a physician or assistant. Moreover, the research is also expected to yield results that can be applied in everyday life here on Earth.

Photo:

Szabolcs Csortos/UnivPécs