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It has also delivered new scientific insight and knowledge to inspire countless innovations and advances in medical science and practically every area of technology. One such example is the GRIP/GRASP experiments that have been used on board the International Space Station (ISS) to investigate the impact of different gravitational environments on haptic feedback and dexterity.

Launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017, the experiments have been designed and built by QinetiQ for the European Space Agency. The objective is to improve understanding of how the human body’s nervous system controls movement and adapts to an environment where there is no up and down and where every object has no weight. Such insight will also show how long-duration space travel affects a human’s ability to regulate grip force and manipulation of an object.

Significantly, the success of the GRIP/GRASP experiments will support increasingly ambitious crewed space programmes as well as advances in neurological sciences and the treatment of neurological diseases. The GRIP experiment comprises a special chair and worktable fitted with an array of sensors to obtain precise measurements of the subject’s position, grip-force and finger humidity as they perform a test trial of a pre-defined series of tasks and movements. After three full pre-flight sessions to collect baseline data, the assigned astronaut then completes three scheduled in-flight sessions and two post flight sessions to provide a full data set for detailed analysis.

In the GRASP experiment, the astronaut wears virtual reality glasses to map the link between what they feel and what they detect from observation, muscular movement and vestibular signals. The astronaut is suspended in a harness, fixing his/her position in the center of the ISS cabin so as to not fly away while wearing the VR goggles. Safety precautions were made to allow the astronaut to get free from the harness and electronic sensors in case of an on-board emergency.

The first experiment sessions were completed at the end of 2017. The hardware was unpacked again the following year by ISS Commander Alexander Gerst for a second series of experiment sessions and, just last week, two of the current astronauts on the ISS were once again using the equipment.

GRIP/GRASP has proved to be a very effective programme and the first sets of results from the experiments have now been released with very positive outcomes. There is little doubt the experiments are making a significant contribution to our understanding of dexterous manipulation and sensory adaptation to long-term microgravity. They are also shedding more light on motor learning processes that will hopefully help clinicians here on ground to improve the support for patients suffering from motor control pathologies. This is just one example of how we are using Captain Kirk’s ‘Final Frontier’ as a laboratory to help challenge and push scientific frontiers further forward into completely new and uncharted territories.