POLISH
EXPERIMENTS
The call for domestic experiments was open in the middle of 2023 with a closing date in September. ESA published a call and teams were to apply through the OSIP platform. Polish teams submitted 66 proposals! Some of them never had a contract with the ESA and are not active in the space domain. 18 of them were on the shortlist to work with the ESA team on integration and development (more information is available here). Until the end of April 7, ESA and experiments teams signed the contract. The experiments will include studies on the psychological effects of long-term space habitation, AI performance in low gravity, noise level monitoring on the ISS, and the use of microalgae in future space missions and space medicine.
Astromentalhealth
An experiment examining the impact of space isolation on human mental health. The research will analyze interaction with the environment, changes in emotional state and work efficiency, which may contribute to the development of better psychological support systems for space crews.
The team: University of Silesia in Katowice
Human Gut Microbiota
It focuses on changes in the gut microbiome of astronauts during a short-term (two-week) space mission. The results of this study could influence future nutritional strategies for astronauts in low Earth orbit in reduced gravity and help maintain their health and performance during and after missions.
The team: Military University of Technology in Warsaw
Immune Multiomics
An experiment to understand how microgravity affects the human immune system. By analyzing changes in gene expression and examining the processes that regulate gene expression in blood cells, scientists expect to discover how adaptation to space conditions affects the body’s ability to defend itself against infections.
The team: Military University of Technology in Warsaw
Leopardiss
A technological project that demonstrates the operation of an advanced data processing unit enabling the use of AI (artificial intelligence) solutions in space. This research is crucial for the future of space exploration, where autonomous systems will play an increasingly important role.
The team: KPLabs, Poznań University of Technology
Space Volcanic Algae
A scientific experiment that investigates the ability of extremophilic volcanic microalgae to survive and adapt in space conditions, which will be important for future space missions and applications in closed loop and space medicine.
The team: Extremo Technologies
Wireless Acoustics
An experiment focusing on the development of noise monitoring systems on the ISS. The goal is to create wireless solutions capable of continuously monitoring acoustic conditions, which will increase the safety and comfort of space crews.
The team: Svantek
Yeast Tardigradegene
This experiment will test the survival of genetically modified yeast (enriched with tardigrade protein) in microgravity conditions, in order to determine the possibility of using them as biofactories both during space travel and on Mars or the Moon.
The team: University of Szczecin (leader), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and University of Silesia in Katowice
The presented description of Polish experiments is a translation of materials published on Polish Space Agency website in Polish: Polskie eksperymenty będą realizowane na pokładzie Międzynarodowej Stacji Kosmicznej – POLSA – Polska Agencja Kosmiczna
CZECH
EXPERIMENTS
The Czech Ministry of Transport opened a request for information, which remained open until the end of March 2024. More than 60 proposals were submitted, with the majority focusing on life sciences, followed by technology demonstration, physical sciences, and education/outreach. This strong response reflects the high level of interest from the Czech academic and industrial communities.
This significant effort was soon followed by official government support and a vision to send a Czech astronaut into orbit, along with the selected experiments, within the next five years. Between September and November 2024, an announcement of opportunity for experiments will be released, inviting proposals to be evaluated by ESA and the government.
HUNGARIAN
EXPERIMENTS
Hungary opened a call for scientific experiment proposals as part of the HUNOR national astronaut program, which ran for nearly a year and a half, concluding at the end of 2023. The selected scientific experiments are currently being prepared for implementation in this groundbreaking national initiative.