New exercise gear on ISS
- Expedition 74 crew installed an advanced exercise device aboard the International Space Station during recent biotechnology work. (nasa.gov) - NASA’s April 22 report links the installation to ongoing DNA and biotech experiments focused on cancer therapies and radiation repair. (nasa.gov) - The update shows exercise hardware is still a stated priority for crew health during long-duration microgravity research missions. (nasa.gov)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station installed a new exercise device on April 22 as Expedition 74 kept running biotechnology experiments in orbit. (nasa.gov) NASA said the same workday included DNA Nano Therapeutics-3 research, which studies DNA-shaped materials that can be assembled in microgravity for possible cancer drugs and radiation-repair treatments. (nasa.gov) In plain terms, astronauts lose bone and muscle in orbit because weight no longer pulls on the body the way it does on Earth. NASA says station crews now average about two hours of exercise a day to slow that loss. (nasa.gov) The station’s current exercise system already includes the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device, a treadmill called T2, and the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System, or CEVIS. NASA says the resistive machine uses pistons and flywheels to mimic weightlifting in weightlessness. (nasa.gov) That makes new exercise hardware a crew-health story as much as a cargo update. NASA says Expedition 74 is continuing human research and advanced science through summer 2026, with the mission running from Dec. 8, 2025, into July 2026. (nasa.gov) The timing also fits the station’s latest resupply cycle. NASA reported on April 14 that Expedition 74 had just opened Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL cargo craft and started unloading new science gear and crew supplies. (nasa.gov) By April 16, NASA said the crew was still unpacking several tons of equipment from Cygnus while installing new lab hardware after the spacecraft’s arrival. (nasa.gov) The April 22 update did not give the device’s model name or technical specifications. It did make clear that, even during biotech work aimed at therapies on Earth and in space, the station is still adding gym equipment to keep crews functioning in microgravity. (nasa.gov)
