Sussex student Adam Hawkey is hoping his work will put men on the planet Mars.

Adam, 25, has spent weeks meeting astronauts and medical experts at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral in the United States, researching the effect of weightlessness on the human body.

He is writing a dissertation on the physiological challenge of space for his science of exercise degree at University College in Chichester.

Adam, who comes from Haywards Heath and lived in Brighton for 15 years, discovered the impact of space on the human body from astronauts including John Fabian, who has been on three shuttle missions.

He met officials from the National Aeronautics and Space Association (Nasa).

He said: "Nasa was incredibly helpful and I met many of their top people.

"The people there really put themselves out. It was a fantastic experience."

Adam studied the importance of exercise in space missions, with shuttles and space stations fitted with equipment including cycles and treadmills.

Astronaut Norman Thaggard, who spent four months on the space station Mir, asked for "someone to get the elephant off me" when describing his return to a gravity environment.

Part of Adam's research is geared to the day when he hopes the Americans will send a mission to Mars.

But he says one of the obstacles to overcome is the loss of muscle and bone in the body, which can be as much as 20 per cent after four months in space.

He said: "A mission to Mars would take three years so the impact on the body would be enormous.

"Imagine a sleep-deprived astronaut stepping on to the surface of Mars with his immune system challenged and his bones and muscles weakened.

"The body may not even survive the journey, which would make the first mission to Mars a one-way trip."

Adam says one suggestion is to create artificial gravity in space. He said: "It was first proposed by Arthur C Clarke in the Thirties and the theory could soon become a reality.

"If I had the chance, I would love to go.

"The Americans tend to select their own people, although the Russians have taken some Europeans.

"If Britain had an effective space programme I would certainly apply.

"I am sure there will be a mission to Mars and it is something that is on the tips of people's tongues in America."