The ISS is like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle being pieced together in weightlessness over the years as laboratories, living quarters and solar panels are carefully assembled. Columbus, the European orbiting laboratory launched on 7 February 2008, is one of those pieces. It contains 4 racks of facilities, covering four different themes, with each rack looking rather like a large cupboard housing scientific modules for experiments in such fields as biology or physics.

One of these is the European Physiology Modules (EPM) facility, for research into human physiology in weightlessness. The EMP got under way on 16 February. In its first configuration, it is composed of 2 scientific modules (Cardiolab and the MEEMM¹) for experiments on the cardio-vascular, muscular and nervous systems of the human body:

• the Cardiolab module will study cardio-vascular physiology, using instruments for measuring heart-rate as well as blood pressure and volume;
•  the MEEMM module for neurology, will use a head-cap fitted with EEG electrodes to measure electrical activity in the brain.

The EPM also contains equipment for collecting biological samples (blood, urine and saliva) for later analysis by ground-based laboratories. The rack has been designed to house complementary modules in the future, for research into bone metabolism, muscle physiology and hormonal phenomena.

These instruments are connected to a central computer which manages their power supply and configuration, as well as collecting, displaying and storing the scientific data. It also sends the scientific data back to Cadmos, processing ground station based in Toulouse (France), either during or after the experiment.

The EPM was developed by ESA as a part of the Microgravity Facilities for Columbus (MFC) programme. ESA also developed most of the modules, with the exception of Cardiolab which was built by a joint project involving CNES and DLR, the German Space Agency.

 _¹   Multi Electrode Electroencephalogram Mapping Module

_{Last updated : August 2010}