ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 2 • 2011 • 2 101 EDIToRIAL Life in space is a challenge for scientists in general and especially for kinesiolo- gists. Applied kinesiology is in every way connected with the life and work of man in interaction with the environment in various fields of human activity. In relation to movement, gravity plays a special role. With the objective to achieve a certain aim in space, to perform a certain task, to recreate, to rehabilitate or achieve top sports results – movement is nothing else than overcoming gravity in space and time. Space is a specifically hostile environment, and we are learning to adapt to it. This will require long lasting studies and training and also the development of new sciences and new technologies which will turn a dream in a safe enterprise. The University of Primorska has been an institution of excellence in space kinesiology and beyond in the field of space from its very beginnings. Our meetings are fre- quently attended by the scientists that work in the field of space. Our university is strongly bound to the project of preparing men for space flights and living in space. Several international bed-rest studies have been organised and the results continu- ally appear in international journals. Other studies are planned in the near future, thus the University of Primorska is developing in the way that will apply the proper role to it in the geography of worldwide distribution of space related investigations. Investigating the interaction of human organism and special environment is one of the current goals of our institution. All international projects which have taken place here, were related to looking at space conquest from many aspects, having in mind the appropriate holistic approach. For this reason we have participated with enthusiasm in projecting the inter- national conference Living the Space – The Space a Human Habitat which took place in Naples and was organised with the joint efforts of the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies, the Second University of Naples, the University of Salerno and the Italian Space Agency. During the conference a survey was performed the participants, who accepted it very well; the survey involved the question whether studies on space originating from the humanistic area should be funded. We supported this request and returned it to European Space Agency and all European space agencies. The holistic ap- proach really achieves a complete vision of our common enterprise. There is a lot to be learned and disseminated. The current and the next issue of Annales Kinesiologiae will publish a selected and peer reviewed group of papers originating from presentations discussed at that conference. I sincerely hope that these articles will explain the reasons why space- ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 2 • 2011 • 2 102 EDITORIAL / UVODNIK, 101–103 related science is a favourite topic for our journal. I would like to thank our special guest editors for their tremendous cooperation and work. Prof. Dr. Rado Pišot Editor in Chief ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 2 • 2011 • 2 103 EDITORIAL / UVODNIK, 101–103 UVoDNIK Življenje v vesolju predstavlja velik izziv za vse znanstvenike, še posebej pa je to izziv za kineziologe. Področja aplikativne kineziologije se prepletajo z življenjem in delom človeka v interakciji z okoljem na različnih področjih njegove- ga delovanja. Težnost ima v obravnavi gibanja posebno vlogo. S ciljem doseganja cilja v prostoru, želenega opravila, sproščene rekreacije, rehabilitacije ali vrhun- skega športnega rezultata ni gibanje nič drugega kot premagovanje sile težnosti v prostoru in času. Vesolje je še posebej sovražno okolje, zato se neprekinjeno učimo, kako bi se mu prilagodili. To pa zahteva dolgotrajne študije in usposabljanje, prav tako pa tudi razvoj novih znanosti in tehnologij, ki bi te sanje uresničile. Uni- verza na Primorskem je že od svoje ustanovitve vrhunska institucija na področju vesoljske kineziologije. Naše delo pogosto dopolnjujejo znanstveniki, ki so dejavni na področju raziskovanja vesolja. Naša univerza je močno povezana s projektom, v sklopu katerega ljudi pripravljamo za polete ter življenje v vesolju. Organizira- li smo že številne mednarodne študije dolgotrajnega mirovanja, t. i. “bed-rest” študije, rezultati teh študij pa so pogosto objavljeni v različnih mednarodnih zborni- kih. V bližnji prihodnosti načrtujemo še druge študije, zato se Univerza na Primor- skem razvija v smeri, ki bi jo ustrezno umestila na zemljevid svetovne razporeditve raziskav v povezavi z vesoljem. Eden izmed trenutnih ciljev naše institucije je raziskovanje interakcije med človeškim organizmom in posebnim okoljem. Vsi mednarodni projekti, ki so se izvajali na tej univerzi, so vključevali obravnavo vseh vidikov osvajanja vesolja, pri čemer so upoštevali tudi ustrezen holističen pristop. Za ta namen smo z navdušenjem sodelovali pri organizaciji mednarodne kon- ference Living the Space – The Space a Human Habitat, ki je potekala v Neaplju. S skupnim sodelovanjem so jo organizirali italijanski Inštitut za filozofijo, Druga univerza v Neaplju, Univerza v Salernu in Italijanska vesoljska agencija. Med konferenco je med udeleženci potekala anketa, ki so jo vsi dobro sprejeli. Ta anketa je udeležence spraševala, ali bi bilo potrebno financirati študije o vesolju, ki izhajajo iz humanističnega področja. Ta predlog smo podprli in ga posredovali tudi Ev- ropski vesoljski agenciji ter vsem ostalim evropskim vesoljskim agencijam. Holistični pristop dejansko dosega popolno vizijo našega skupnega dela. Veliko se moramo še naučiti in objaviti. V tej in naslednji izdaji revije Annales Kinesiologiae objavljamo izbrane in strokovno pregledane prispevke, ki so nastali v okviru predavanj in tematik, ki smo jih obravnavali na konferenci. Srčno upam, da bodo ti prispevki razložili prave razloge, zakaj je vesoljska znanost najljubša tematika naše revije. ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 2 • 2011 • 2 104 EDITORIAL / UVODNIK, 101–103 Še posebej pa se zahvaljujem našim posebnim gostujočim urednikom za njihov trud in vloženo delo. Prof. Dr. Rado Pišot odgovorni urednik