The scientific congress “ took place on 24 March at the ”A. Visconti“ Auditorium in Palazzo Aeronautica, Rome.“The Physiology of High Altitude: Scientific Studies on Monte Rosa”, dedicated to the presentation of the results of the Artemis Mission 4554, the multidisciplinary research project conducted by the Air Force on the occasion of the Centenary of the Air Force Health Service.
The works have seen the collaboration of the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps, the National Research Council, Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Milan, the Monzino Cardiology Centre of Milan, the Galeazzi Institute of Milan, the Ca’ Granda Foundation of Milan, the Mondino Neurological Institute of Pavia, the University of Padua, as well as scientific collaboration with various companies in the sector, such as Idea srl.
The Artemis 4554 mission was conceived with the ambition of combining historical tradition, scientific innovation and institutional cooperation. The name itself recalls the symbolic quota of the enterprise: the 4.554 metres from Margherita Hut, on Monte Rosa, the highest scientific refuge in Europe, chosen as the venue for the most advanced experiments by Angelo Mosso, a pioneer in the study of the effects of altitude on the human body. One hundred years later, the Italian Air Force has symbolically taken up that baton, with the mission conceived by Colonel Marco Lastilla, Today, Director of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Milan, named precisely after Angelo Mosso, who conceived and developed the scientific project, combining the operational vocation of military health with the most advanced research methodologies in extreme environments. With a rigorous scientific approach, articulated along a progressive altitudinal gradient, from Alagna Valsesia to Capanna Gnifetti at 3,647 metres, up to the attainment of Capanna Margherita. Among the Mission Specialist reached the summit, figure also the Brigadier General Emanuele Garzia, today Head of the Aeronautical Military Health Service, a testament to the direct involvement of health leadership in field research. In this context, experimental protocols have been implemented, shared with academia, aimed at studying the physiological, neurocognitive, and biochemical responses of the human body under conditions of reduced oxygen availability and high stress load.
The introductory greetings included Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force Corps General Antonio Conserva, who expressed his strong appreciation for the research recently conducted by the Artemis 4554 mission on Monte Rosa, underlining the importance of space and high altitude, as well as the necessary and constant collaboration between the military and the civilian scientific world.
The first conference session was dedicated to the analysis of the main physiological and functional mechanisms that regulate the human body's response to exposure in a hypobaric environment. The effects of physical activity in conditions of reduced atmospheric pressure, the cardiorespiratory and metabolic modifications induced by hypoxia, as well as the variations in cognitive functions were explored in depth.
Contributions were presented regarding advanced research projects in extreme environments, biological markers of acute hypoxia, and alterations in visual perception.
Particular attention was also given to the analysis of flight accidents related to hypoxic hypoxia and multiparametric monitoring techniques in extreme environments, in collaboration with the Aeromedical Section of the National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC).
In the second session, the mechanisms of systemic response to hypoxic stress and its implications in the aerospace field were explored in depth.
The results of Mission Artemis 4554 were illustrated with reference to alterations in neuroendocrine systems and oxidative stress, and case studies related to healthcare rescue in mountain environments, respiratory adaptations at high altitude, and integrated physiological data models were presented. Particular attention was paid to the study of sleep at high altitude and in space, as well as innovative techniques such as mindfulness and virtual reality applied to hypoxic stress.
The mission and Congress took place under the’Guardian of Chief Inspector General Pietro Perelli, Head of the Aeronautical Health Corps, who, at the opening of the proceedings, presented the entire initiative as an expression of the strategic vision of the Italian Defence and Health sectors, with the capacity to conduct research for the benefit not only of the Armed Forces, but of the entire national scientific and medical community.“The results of the studies look far ahead, because extreme high-altitude environments represent an Earthly analogue of space conditions..”Gen. Perelli recalled: “Understanding how the human body adapts to these challenges means building valuable knowledge for aeronautical and space medicine, in an era when space is not just a place for research, but the next frontier for all of humanity.”.
The conference on 24 March was attended by important institutional authorities. Among the guests The Inspector General of Military Health, Lieutenant General Carlo Catalano, to underline the concordant effort of all components of the Military Health Service at the service of the country.
The Congress represented a moment of high scientific and institutional value, aimed at consolidating dialogue between academic research and military healthcare. The Artemis 4554 Mission emerges as a paradigmatic model of integration between scientific research, operational application, and inter-institutional cooperation.
