The Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from tonight is on board the International Space Station (ISS) along with 11 other people. The crew will conduct scientific research in various fields: from materials science, through health technologies, to finish with botany. The return is scheduled for mid-September. 

There are hundreds of experiments to be conducted aboard the orbiting station. Among these there are university projects, companies and various research institutes that have entrusted them to the execution of astronauts in space. These include studying the effects of weightlessness on human tissue, the reproductive system and the auditory system. 

The long-term goal of the research is to understand the consequences of being in space on the body, with a view to longer trips to Mars. To conduct experiments in reduced gravity astronauts will use technologically advanced tools: from the shirt with sensors to monitor the heart to robotic greenhouses to grow vegetables in space. 

On the same subject see also the article published by AVIONEWS.