:envihab: Facing intriguing challenges of human spaceflight and inspiring future challenges of medicine on earth – the brand-new research facility of the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine of the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, Germany

Abstract

As a new modularly designed research facility for medical research, :envihab’s purpose is to study under strictly standardized conditions the complex problems presented by a closed life-support system (:envihab = environmental habitat) and the interactions between humans and the environment and possible countermeasures. The main goal of :envihab is to contribute through hypothesis-driven research, to scientific insight and technological progress so as to provide solutions to the most important key issues for life on Earth. It will deliver industry-relevant results of scientific progress together with its economic advantages, and will encourage public debate about important future-oriented questions regarding human life. The collected data can then be used as a starting point for future modeling tasks that will be required in all areas of medicine in the future.