In 2013, a special medical research facility was started in Cologne, Germany to understand how humans adapt to extreme environments: How :envihab helps prepare astronauts?

In 2013, a special medical research facility was started in Cologne, Germany to understand how humans adapt to extreme environments. Called , the facility is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Aerospace Medicine. It gives scientists a place to study what happens to the human body when people are exposed to conditions similar to those experienced during spaceflight. Researchers use bedrest studies to recreate some effects of microgravity on Earth. Participants remain in bed for weeks while scientists monitor their bodies. The research also involves NASA and other space agencies and is used to test measures that may help astronauts during future missions.

What is the facility?

The aerospace medicine research facility is located in Cologne-Porz, Germany. It is operated by the German Aerospace Center, also known as DLR, through its Institute of Aerospace Medicine. The name combines the words “environment” and “habitat”. The facility was designed as a medical research center where scientists can examine how humans respond to changes in their surroundings.


The facility covers about 3,500 square meters, or more than 37,000 square feet. It is built across a single floor and contains several research modules. The facility includes a human centrifuge, pressure chambers, a living area, a special MRI scanner, a psychological unit and biological laboratories. The research is not limited to spaceflight. Scientists also examine how the human body responds to conditions that can occur in other extreme environments.

Why do scientists use bedrest studies?

Space changes the way the human body works because astronauts in microgravity no longer experience the same downward pull of Earth’s gravity. When the body floats in weightlessness, it does not need to support its weight in the same way. This reduces the work done by bones and muscles. Body fluids also move and redistribute.

Scientists cannot create every condition of spaceflight on Earth. However, strict bedrest can produce some of the physical changes linked to microgravity. This gives researchers a way to study spaceflight health effects without sending people into space.

NASA collaborates with DLR on bedrest studies. Researchers collect information from volunteers before the study begins and again after the bedrest period ends. This allows scientists to compare changes in the body.

What happens during a bedrest study?

A typical bedrest study can last between 30 and 60 days. The exact length depends on the research project. Participants lie in hospital beds throughout the study. Their heads are kept at a six-degree downward tilt. The participants cannot sit up during the study. This rule applies to daily activities that would normally require sitting or standing.

They do not sit up to bathe. They do not sit up to use the restroom. They cannot sit up to play cards with other participants. Even actions such as sneezing have to be managed while remaining in the required position. The restrictions allow researchers to maintain the conditions needed for the study.

Scientists monitor the volunteers throughout the process. They collect medical and biological information before, during and after the bedrest period. Researchers can then study changes caused by prolonged inactivity and fluid redistribution.

What does bedrest reveal about astronauts?

Bedrest studies help researchers examine several effects that can occur during spaceflight. One area of research is the bones. Reduced loading can affect the way bones respond to physical stress. Muscles are another area of study. When muscles do not have to work against gravity for long periods, their condition and strength can change.

Scientists also study balance and coordination. These functions can be affected when the body spends an extended period in a microgravity-like environment. Researchers can also examine changes involving the brain and eyes.

One group of changes associated with microgravity is known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, or SANS. Bedrest studies can help scientists understand these changes and examine possible interventions.

How are countermeasures tested?

A major purpose of the research is to find ways to reduce the health effects of spaceflight. These interventions are known as countermeasures. They can include methods designed to help protect the bones, muscles, balance, vision and other systems affected by microgravity.

Scientists first measure the condition of participants before the study. They then monitor them during the bedrest period and examine them again afterward. This provides data that can be used to compare different approaches. The research can therefore help space agencies determine which countermeasures may be useful for astronauts.

What equipment is available inside?

The facility contains several areas designed for different types of research. A human centrifuge can be used to study artificial gravity and its effects on the human body. Pressure chambers allow scientists to conduct research under controlled pressure conditions.

The living area supports participants during isolation and bedrest studies. The facility also contains an MRI scanner. MRI technology allows researchers to examine changes inside the body. A psychological unit is used to study human responses to isolation and controlled living conditions.

The biological laboratory allows researchers to conduct biological tests connected with the studies. Together, these sections allow scientists to examine physical and psychological responses in one research setting.

How many people take part in the studies?

The facility can accommodate research participants under controlled conditions. For each series of bedrest studies, scientists typically recruit four groups of 12 research volunteers. The individual study design determines how many people are involved at a particular time.

Participants are selected for research programs and are monitored throughout the process. Their health information is recorded before and after the bedrest period. The collected data helps researchers understand how prolonged bedrest changes the human body.

What was the AGBRESA study?

One of the major projects at was the AGBRESA study. AGBRESA stands for Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study. It was launched in March 2019 with participation from NASA, DLR and the European Space Agency, or ESA.

The project examined how artificial gravity could help reduce some of the changes caused by prolonged bedrest. The study was part of research into possible ways of protecting astronauts from the effects of microgravity.

What is the SOLIS100 study?

In April 2026, launched the SOLIS100 isolation study. The study simulated a 100-day terrestrial astronaut mission. It was designed to examine conditions connected with a long-duration mission while participants remained on Earth.

The project added to the facility’s work on isolation and human responses to controlled environments. Studies such as SOLIS100 allow researchers to investigate how people respond to conditions that may be relevant to future astronaut missions.

How can lying in bed for 60 days help space research?

A long bedrest period may appear unrelated to spaceflight, but it gives scientists a controlled way to reproduce some effects of microgravity. During a recent episode of NASA’s Curious Universe podcast, a bedrest study volunteer and two lead researchers discussed the experience of living through a bedrest study.

The discussion also covered activities such as playing video games with the feet. Such activities can be part of research into how astronauts may maintain movement and function during long missions. Analog astronaut Andreas Joshi took part in a bedrest study in which he remained in bed with his head tilted downward for 60 days.

A computer was installed above his head so he could use it while remaining in the required position. The study conditions show how controlled bedrest can be used to examine human responses to a spaceflight-like environment.

Timeline of the Cologne space medicine facility

• 2009: Construction of the facility officially began.
• July 5, 2013: The aerospace medicine research facility was officially inaugurated and launched.
• 2013: The facility began supporting ground-based analog space missions and research into extreme environmental conditions.
• March 2019: The AGBRESA Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study began with NASA and ESA participation.
• April 2026: The SOLIS100 isolation study began and simulated a 100-day terrestrial astronaut mission.

Why this research matters for future missions?

Long-duration space missions can expose astronauts to conditions that are different from life on Earth. Microgravity can affect bones, muscles, body fluids, balance, coordination, the brain and vision. Researchers need to understand these changes before astronauts spend extended periods away from Earth.

The facility provides a controlled environment for this work. Bedrest studies allow scientists to collect information without sending volunteers into space. The research also allows countermeasures to be tested before they are considered for use during space missions.

The work can support research into future missions involving longer periods in space. It can also help scientists understand health effects linked to inactivity and other controlled conditions on Earth. The facility therefore connects medical research on Earth with the requirements of human spaceflight.