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A study on Hygiene in long duration space missions was held between 1988-1989 for ESA Long Term Programme Office (1), (2). The impact of Hygiene on station contamination and station layout was reviewed as well as psychological, social and cultural aspects, leading to the conclusion that hygiene is a key habitability issue. Among its main results, the study highlighted the importance of water in both environmental and personal hygiene: the use of water in body hygiene is culturally and socially established. As a consequence, water was found as the main consumable in hygiene functions. Thus, due to the limited water availability in space stations, particular attention was paid to on board water management. Simulation software was developed to demonstrate the relation between hygiene subsystems concepts and water requirements. The software was designed as a tool. Parameters allow to define various mission profiles.

In 1994, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French Space Agency (CNES) organized a long-term weightlessness simulation based on bed-rest; this experimental campaign was contracted for its execution to the Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES). Height healthy male subjects participated in this experiment and stayed in bed-rest in a head-down tilt position (-6° vs. horizontal) during 42 days. During this experiment, the responses of several physiological systems to weightlessness simulation were studied: i.e. cardiovascular system, renal function, adaptations to exercise, muscle tissues, bone, immune system and metabolism.