BBC reports space gym equipment

BBC reported on May 23 that researchers in Europe and North America are competing to build smaller exercise machines for astronauts headed to future space stations, lunar missions and eventually Mars. The report described a push to replace or supplement the large treadmill, cycle and resistance hardware now used on the International Space Station with more compact systems suited to tighter spacecraft. NASA says astronauts on the station now average about two hours of exercise a day to limit muscle and bone loss in microgravity. NASA said in a May 2024 explainer that current ISS exercise hardware includes the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, the T2 treadmill and the CEVIS cycle machine. The agency said those systems are used to counter bone and muscle atrophy in weightlessness, but research continues on how to refine both hardware and workout prescriptions for longer missions. The Canadian Space Agency says astronauts can lose an average of 1% of bone density per month in space and that future stays on Gateway could last up to three months. (tech.yahoo.com) ### Why are space agencies looking for new gym equipment now? The Canadian Space Agency says new exercise equipment will be required for Orion and Gateway because those missions offer less room than the ISS. DLR, the German aerospace center, has made the same point, saying smaller spacecraft planned for future Mars-class missions do not have room for today’s treadmill, bicycle ergometer and weight-training machines. (nasa.gov) Dr. Meganne Christian, a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency and senior exploration manager at the UK Space Agency, told the BBC-linked report that one British concept came out of a competition among three European consortia to design an exercise device for Gateway. Christian said the work remains timely even as NASA has sidelined Gateway, because the hardware could still be used on new space stations and on the lunar surface with Artemis missions. (asc-csa.gc.ca) ### What exactly was Matthew Wells testing? Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Wells tested a British device called HIFIm — short for High-Frequency Impulse for Microgravity — aboard a parabolic flight that created about 22 seconds of weightlessness at a time, the BBC report said. ESA provided the flight tests, and the article said the European Space Agency, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency had all played some part in the equipment’s development and testing. (tech.yahoo.com) Physical Mind London, which lists inventor John Kennett as founder, describes HIFIm as a next-generation exercise countermeasure for long-duration spaceflight. The University of Salford said funding was secured to evaluate HIFIm’s use as an exercise countermeasure for long-duration missions, with Christian among the team involved in the research. ### Which other devices are in the running? ESA said in January that the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device, or E4D, was commissioned by the agency and developed by Danish Aerospace Company. (tech.yahoo.com) ESA said E4D is designed to support a broader range of resistance exercise while also giving astronauts camera-based motion capture so they can track performance and correct posture in real time. (physicalmind.london) Danish Aerospace says E4D supports more than 30 resistive exercises, loads up to 600 pounds, cycling workloads up to 500 watts, rowing and rope-pulling modes. The BBC-linked report described the machine as having four modes — resistive training, cycling, rowing and rope pulling. ### What is already flying on Artemis missions? NPR reported on April 9 that the Artemis II crew is using a compact flywheel device aboard Orion for both aerobic and resistance exercise. (esa.int) NASA engineers designed the unit for Orion’s 316 cubic feet of cabin volume, and astronaut Jeremy Hansen said it can be used like a rowing machine at lower resistance and faster pace. NPR said the device can also support resistance exercises up to 400 pounds. (danishaerospace.com) NASA’s own research archive says E4D is also being developed to inform requirements for exploration missions such as Gateway. That places the current work in a chain that runs from ISS hardware now in service to flywheel systems on Orion and newer multi-mode devices being prepared for lunar-orbit and deep-space use. ### What happens next for the leading designs? Danish Aerospace said on May 18 that it signed a contract change notice with ESA to build a motion-capture system for E4D that will be launched and tested on the International Space Station. (kanw.org) ESA television also posted footage from an April 22-23 parabolic flight campaign in Bordeaux, France, showing Christian training with HIFIm. (inderes.fi) (ntrs.nasa.gov)