The European Space Agency (ESA) has appointed an Irish man as a member of its medical board.

The appointment of Professor Donal O'Gorman from Dublin City University (DCU) is the first time Ireland has been represented at this level.

The responsibility of the board is to guarantee the safety and well-being of humans in spaceflight, and to ensure ethical conduct of research.

The board also establishes and approves the medical and psychological criteria for astronaut selection.

Prof O'Gorman is an exercise physiologist who specialises in whole-body and skeletal muscle metabolism.

He is the current director of the National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology at DCU, leads the 3U Diabetes Consortium and is chair of the DCU Research Ethics Committee.

His research hopes to advance understanding of the cellular processes that are activated during exercise and how human cells adapt to exercise training.

Professor Donal O'Gorman | Image: DCU

In his work with the ESA, Prof O'Gorman has been investigating the changes that take place due to inactivity.

During spaceflight, astronauts experience changes in their bodies that are similar to accelerated ageing.

Speaking about the appointment, Prof O'Gorman said: "I'm delighted to have been selected as a member of the medical board of the European Space Agency.

"Incredible research is being performed on the International Space Station, a laboratory travelling at 27,000 km/hr and 400 km above the earth.

"We have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of astronauts conducting and participating in research experiments in this isolated environment.

"Ireland's participation in the space sector is rapidly expanding and our contribution will increase further as ESA moves to the next phase of establishing a base on the moon."

Ireland contributes €18m per year to ESA programmes, with more than 60 Irish companies having received ESA contracts since 2010.