Astronauts working 230 miles above Earth have only begun to assemble the new $60 billion International Space Station but already five scientists in Ireland are vying for coveted access to its weightless laboratories.
If chosen, their experiments - everything from examining bones to casting molten metal - would be carried out by the station's resident crew or by remote control from the ground, possibly starting in 2005.
"If one or all of us make the grade it would be a tremendous coup for the country," said Dr Paul Fannin, an electrical engineering lecturer at Trinity College. "And working at last in near-zero gravity could spur untold advances for our work. It's just unfortunate I can't go up there myself."
Dr Fannin is studying the development of magnetic particles which can be inserted into liquids to direct their flow. The research could allow medicines to be routed magnetically to specific parts of the body for removing deadly blood clots and treating cancer and hypothermia.
Microgravity could also help produce metals much stronger than those currently available on Earth, explained Mr David Browne, a UCD mechanical engineering lecturer. His project involves studying the benefits of blending iron and aluminium alloys for direct use on the station. This could pave the way for "space factories" which would make small quantities of metal parts which need to be especially strong and precise.
"Obviously, you can't be building fleets of cars up there, but you could possibly make semi-conductor crystals or engine turbines for high-speed jet aircraft," Mr Browne said.
"The options in space are endless because when metal is molten gravity can really disrupt and weaken the blend, sending the heavier metal to the bottom," he said. "The quality of space manufacturing just might justify the high cost."
Prof Denis Weaire and Dr Stefan Hutzler in the Physics Department of Trinity College are doing similar research on newly-developed "metal foams". These are strong, light-weight and crushable materials which could absorb the energy of a car crash. "Our intention would not be to set up a factory, which others are predicting, but to make these materials in compositions which are impossible on Earth and to come back with new clues to understanding them," Prof Weaire said.
Prof John McInerney, of University College Cork, hopes to discover at last how space travel affects a person's bones. "The question has been out there for decades now," he said. "With the first serious talk of flights to Mars and regular people living in space, we have to discover exactly what the risks are."
Prof McInerney will use high-resolution imaging equipment to examine the density of bone samples before and after a stay on the station. On board the space shuttle scientists could only study the effects of microgravity for 10 days. Now with the space station the tests can continue for years. "Before we could only get small pieces, now we might have conclusive answers," he said.
The experiments on the space station will all be done aboard the European Space Agency's 6.7metre by four-metre pressurised lab module, called Columbus. In about five years it will be launched into orbit loaded with nine tonnes of scientific cargo. It will then dock with the rest of the station, which by that time will be the size of two football pitches and weigh 45.5 million kilos.
All the Irish scientists are members of multinational teams who are working together to submit their proposals to the European Space Agency. Competition has been fierce because room inside the cramped "space truck" is severely limited.
The four studies with Irish involvement were highly placed to be accepted, said Dr Brian O'Donnell, of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish agency in charge of the State's space station involvement. "With each of these experiments, if they actually solve the questions they're posing, it would mean a lot to the future of our civilisation," Dr O'Donnell said. "I think most of them, if not all, will find their way into space."