WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

SpaceDent is a student project supported by PETRI programme, part of ESA Education under European Space Agency (ESA), which gives students the opportunity to perform experiments in micro- and hyper- gravity. The experiment will be performed in parabolic flight, where students can find out whether dental treatment can be performed in weightlessness. SpaceDent's mission is to make the first step to prepare dental medicine for a multi-planetary future.
Global benefit
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Three, Two, One

Project Stages

1st Step: Selection

The journey began on 27. November 2022, when the SpaceDent project proposal was submitted. At the beginning, two selection stages, Shortlisting announcement and Selection meeting with the Selection committee, have been completed before, on 27 January 2023,  the final Selection announcement was declared. SpaceDent project proposal was accepted. Now, experiment will go through several stages of development before its final parabolic flight crescendo, where data will be collected, analyzed and shared.
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Project Stages

1st Step: Selection

SpaceDent project will go through several stages of development ahead of the final parabolic flight crescendo, where data can be collected, analysed and shared before its completion on 27.11.2023. At the beginning, two selection stages, Shortlisting announcement and Selection meetings with Selection committee, must be successfully completed before the final Selection announcement will be declared.
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2nd step: Design

In the initial stage of development, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students will play a central role in SpaceDent team's heroic endeavor. Following expert advice from ESA engineers will help them complete Preliminary Design and Critical Design stages, as well as conceptualize ideas to a final design that will satisfy all experiment goals and parabolic flight safety standards from NovaSpace.
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2nd step: Design

In the initial stage of development, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students will play a central role in SpaceDent's heroic endeavor. Following expert advice from ESA engineers will help them to complete Preliminary Design Review and Critical Design Review stages, and conceptualise the ideas to a final design, that will satisfy all experiment goals and parabolic flight safety standards from NoveSpace.
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3rd step: Assemble and Verify

Successfully reached milestones and an agreed-upon final design will give the SpaceDent team the motivation to occupy a workshop and actualize their ideas into reality. Tools will be provided, materials grinded, bolts tightened. The construction will be assembled and made ready for the testing phase, where all requirements will be met.
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3rd step: Assemble and Verify

Successfully reached milestones and an agreed upon final design will give SpaceDent team motivation, to occupy a workshop and actualize their ideas into reality. Tools will be provided, materials grinded, bolts tightened and the construction assembled and made ready for a testing phase, where all requirements will be meet.
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FINAL STEP: PERFORM AND COMMUNICATE

On a sunny November morning of 2023, the SpaceDent team, after putting the Fall exam period under its belt, will be on its way to Bordeaux, France, where they will meet the NovaSpace team and AirZeroG plane. Following Novaspace's strict safety requirements, the experiment rack will be secured to the plane, tested, and declared experiment ready. Over the following week, three flight days, 93 parabolas and 30 minutes of weightlessness later, the results will be collected, carefully analysed, and shared with the world. The project is going to be a success! The SpaceDent team is going to provide valuable information that will help prepare Dental medicine for a multi-planetary civilization and keep astronauts safe and healthy in the vastness of everlasting space.
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Final step: Perform and Communicate

On a sunny October morning of 2023, SpaceDent team, after Fall exame period under its belt, will be on its way to Bordeaux, France, where they will meet NovaSpace team and AirZeroG plane. Following Novaspace strict safety requirements, the experiment rack will be secured to the plane, tested and declared experiment ready. Over the following week, three flight days, 93 parabolas and 30 minutes of weightlessness later, the results are going to be collected, carefully analysed and shared with the world. The project is going to ba a success! SpaceDent team is going to provide valuable information that will help to prepare Dental medicine for multi-planetary civilization and keep astronauts safe and healthy in the vastness of everlasting space.
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Our Experiment

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY COOPERATION

Dental Medicine

Dental Medicine students are going to perform the experiment in weightlessness, analyse, and communicate the results.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Mechanical Engineering students will build a metal construction with all the supporting systems and thus play a vital role in making this project possible.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Electrical Engineering students will make sure everything is powered and that the video information is captured correctly.
Meet the Team

WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT ASTRONAUTS GOING TO MARS WILL COME BACK WITH A HEALTHY SMILE ON THEIR FACE.

Project goals

SpaceDent's wish is to assess procedures not just to collect measurable results.

Doctor - Patient Positions

To understand how weightlessness changes doctor-patient position relation and optimize it.

Tool Handling

To assess how dental tools can be changed to optimize their use, effectiveness and safety.

Accuracy of Treatment

To test if dental handpiece handling in space is controlled enough to allow safe caries treatment.

Teledentistry

To test an Intraoral scanner and make Teledentistry a viable option for multi-year space expeditions.

Dry Dentistry

To develop water- and acid-free procedures and make dental medicine safe for space.

Dental Protocols Adaptation

To make dental procedures easy for astronauts to handle.

FUTURE APPLICATIONS

Dental Medicine is a profession with one of the broadest knowledge bases required to perform its operations. From an extensive understanding of materials and thus inorganic nature, to an in-depth comprehension of organic nature and human biology. Although generally perceived as somewhat isolated, innovations in the field of Dental Medicine touch every corner of the scientific domain.

Regenerative Dentistry

Teeth are one of the most diverse organs in the human body. Knowledge gained from studying dental regeneration in weightlessness will provide clues for other fields.

Materials Research

Dental Medicine practitioners use, study, and develop new materials every day. They are at the forefront of materials research.

3D Printing

3D printing has an extensive use in dental medicine. Adopting it for space will accelerate progress in other fields.

Automated Medicine

Dental medicine is one of the hardest areas to automate. Successful innovations can thus be adapted to other domains with ease.

Diagnostic Tools

Oral diagnostic provides a non-evasive and economically viable way to monitor systemic well-being of astronauts.

Health in Microgravity

The human body is a connected system. We cannot neglect oral health and expect astronauts to be healthy.

Latest news

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SpaceDent - študentski projekt sprejet na razpisu Evropske vesoljske agencije
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Selection of first PETRI cycle teams announced

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Thank you

For your support

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ESA Associates and UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

European Space Agency (ESA)

Mr. Nigel Savage, PhD

Mr. Felix Scharnhölz

Novespace

Mrs. Alexandra Jaquemet

Department of Dental Medicine

prof. Aleš Fidler, PhD

Vice-Dean prof. Janja Jan, PhD

Faculty of Medicine

Dean prof. Igor Švab, PhD

Vice-Dean prof. Ksenija Geršak, PhD

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

assist. prof. Simon Oman, PhD

Vice-Dean prof. Jernej Klemenc, PhD

assoc. prof. Domen Šeruga, PhD

assist. Aleš Gosar, PhD

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Vice-Dean prof. Roman Kamnik, PhD