From astronaut health to space weather: the discoveries changing our understanding of the universe

Many of us grow up fascinated by space and the universe. The question of whether there’s intelligent life out there is a continuing preoccupation among scientists and citizens alike.

But research into space goes far beyond the hunt for extraterrestrial life – there are many different areas that students and researchers are investigating, from space weather and space law, to astronaut health and satellite communication.

At Northumbria University, Newcastle – which is developing NESST, a new £50m North East Space Skills and Technology Centre – academics are working across a range of projects that could transform our understanding of space.

For many people, their only experience of space weather is seeing the stunning phenomenon of the aurora borealis, more commonly known as the northern lights. “The northern lights are part of space weather,” says Clare Watt, professor of space plasma physics. “When there’s a significant storm or disturbance in space, the aurora lights up.”

Space weather forecasts can help experts to predict when and where the northern lights will be particularly bright, so tourists who have travelled, say, to Iceland or northern Norway don’t miss out. Recently, of course, the northern lights were visible over the UK and many other parts of Europe, causing much excitement.

What is less well known is that space weather – such as solar flares or storms – can have a massive impact on our technological infrastructure and even our health and wellbeing. It can cause damage to satellites or increase radiation that is harmful to aircrew and astronauts. Watt, one of Northumbria’s lead researchers in this area, has worked closely with organisations such as the Met Office to examine the impact of space weather on Earth.

“Before I studied space I thought there was nothing there,” says Watt. “But what little material there is, is so energetic that it’s a danger to satellites and anything with electronics. So space weather involves trying to analyse conditions in space to be able to forecast them and give a heads up to satellite operators.”

With our reliance on satellites for banking, navigation, entertainment and more, the prospect of a storm in space knocking out our communications systems is a real cause for concern. By doing research to create better weather forecasts in space, the team can help satellite operators to make more accurate predictions about where and when to move satellites, and so help prevent damage to them and other communications systems.

In addition to improving space weather forecasts, Northumbria researchers are also looking for new ways to allow satellites to transmit data. UK Space Agency funding is supporting the development of a new system that allows satellites to communicate with each other via lasers rather than radio frequencies. This will allow them to transmit data much faster and much more securely. Northumbria researchers are working towards launching the UK’s first university-led multi-satellite space mission to test their system next year, and hope to make it commercially available soon after.

Another area that experts at Northumbria University are pursuing is research into technologies that can improve astronaut health. “We are directly involved in supporting astronauts,” says Nick Caplan, professor of aerospace medicine and rehabilitation at Northumbria University. “The main thing that happens to them in space is that, in the absence of gravity, they’re not having to use the muscles in their legs as they do on Earth to stand and move,” he says. “This means they lose muscle and bone mineral, which can affect them long after they return to Earth. So the question we’re interested in is: how do astronauts exercise in space to prevent these changes?”

The team has been developing exercise devices, including a variable gravity suspension system. And, after winning the 2023 Humans in Space Challenge, is now exploring blood flow restriction training for potential use by astronauts during spaceflight. Using a specialist technique, the team is working on ways to restrict blood flow to the exercising muscles to improve exercise effectiveness, with the aim of maintaining astronauts’ strength while in space.

Importantly, the team’s research can also be used to improve the lives of people here on Earth, Caplan says. “For example, the postural muscles tend to become dysfunctional in astronauts in a similar way that we see in people with lower back pain,” he says. “So if we can find something that works for astronauts, it might work for people with lower back pain on Earth as well.”

Another field of research at the university is space law, which regulates what can be sent into space. “You can’t just launch anything,” says Caroline Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency. “There are regulations in place that are flexible enough to support emerging technologies and new markets, while keeping safety at the forefront. We do need to preserve space for future generations and the UK is a leading voice on this – we want to encourage positive behaviours, like satellites that de-orbit automatically once their mission is over.”

The university is involved in assessing whether additional regulations are needed. “There are laws which the space industry must follow, but we have to ask whether those laws are still relevant when the ways we use space are changing so dramatically,” Watt says. “We have a team here in Northumbria Law School looking at the way in which space is governed to determine whether space regulation needs vital updates.”

Northumbria University is working in partnership with the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin UK Space on its new NESST centre, which will bring together industry and academia to collaborate on technological developments and space research. It is expected to support the creation of more than 350 jobs and aims to help train the next generation of space scientists.

All of this research into space has a wide relevance. “We’re seeking to understand more about the universe, starting with our own solar system and our nearest neighbour, the moon, and then all the other planets in our solar system,” Harper says. “We’re always innovating … What you end up with is technology that you can spin out into numerous applications on Earth.”

Find out more about how Northumbria University is driving change and inspiring potential