Astronauts hail bizarre gadgets to escape ‘artificial’ life aboard the ISS

IMAGINE being trapped in a highly advanced, ‘sterile and cold’ tin can in Earth’s orbit, 250 miles above home.

That’s the reality of astronauts who embark on missions to the International Space Station (ISS), often for at least six months at a time.

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Living in such an artificial environment can weigh heavily on the psyche. Therefore, astronauts are specifically chosen because they do not have mental health problems.

But anyone who works in such a small space, so far from home, is likely to encounter a few.

Fortunately, astronaut Andreas Mogensen had been tasked by the European Space Agency (ESA) to test a new gadget to combat this.

I hear the rustling of the leaves, I hear the birds singing, I can almost feel the warmth of the sun.

Andreas Mogensen, European Space Agency

Mogensen, part of Crew-7 that just returned to Earth, was tasked with conducting two experiments using a virtual reality (VR) headset during his six-month mission to the ISS.

Experiment one

First, the Danish astronaut tested how VR can promote the mental health of astronauts while in space for extended periods of time.

“We astronauts on board the space station live in a very confined, artificial, laboratory-like environment, it’s very sterile, it’s very cold and we don’t have access to nature and that affects our psychological well-being,” Mogensen explains.

“Personally, I really miss going outside and feeling the wind… and even though the virtual reality headset doesn’t allow me to do that, I still get the feeling of being in nature when I wear it.”

The headset comes preloaded with at least four natural scenes, including a sunset, the beach, a mountain path and a river.

“When I put on the virtual reality headset, I hear the rustling of the leaves, I hear the birds singing and I can almost feel the warmth of the sun,” Mogensen describes.

“I have to be honest: I didn’t expect it to make a big difference, but I have found that I enjoy wearing this headset.”

The headset was built by XRHealth, a healthcare spatial computing company, in collaboration with Nord-Space Aps and HTC VIVE to be compatible with microgravity.

The handy gadget flew to the ISS together with Crew-7 in November and was tested during the six-month mission.

“It feels like I’m outside the space station, that I’m away from this artificial environment and it really de-stresses me, it makes me relaxed, it takes away a lot of the daily stress and allows me to calm down again come. get energy… and catch my breath and feel like I’m back on earth,” Mogensen added.

“For long-duration missions it makes a huge difference.”

Experiment two

The second experiment Mogensen conducted was combining the headset with the exercise bike on board the ISS, known as CEVIS.

ISS astronauts spend an average of two hours a day exercising to limit the harmful effects of space on the human body.

When the headset is combined with the exercise bike, astronauts can cycle one of five different routes in Denmark, such as the forest, the beach, the countryside, Copenhagen and the country’s third largest city, Odense.

Routes in the headset are integrated into the bike, so when astronauts go uphill in VR, they have to press harder on the bike for extra realism.

“It’s so motivating,” says Mogensen, adding that “at the same time I feel like I’m in nature and enjoying a nice bike route through the forest or along the beach.”

Mogensen said during the experiments the headset had become “one of my favorite things” to do aboard the ISS.

It’s the first time a virtual reality headset has been sent into space and is being tested for its effectiveness in treating the mental health issues astronauts experience.

Per Lundahl Thomsen, chief technology officer at Nord-Space Aps, said creating a virtual platform will help astronauts combat the negative feelings that come from being so far away from friends and family.

This can be especially difficult for those who miss anniversaries, life milestones, and holidays.

With more support in space, Thomsen believes astronauts will be better able to maintain a healthy lifestyle when they eventually return home.

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