Weightless “Weight”-Lifting Builds Muscle on Earth
ISS017-E-006630 (11 May 2008) --- NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, Expedition 17 flight engineer, uses the short bar for the Interim Resistive Exercise Device (IRED) equipment to perform upper body strengthening pull-ups in the Unity node of the International Space Station.
Media Credit: NASA
From the very early days of human spaceflight, NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration has been aware that astronauts lose bone density and muscle mass during prolonged periods of time in space. On Earth, our bones and muscles are constantly working against gravity – even when we are just standing around! As construction of the International Space Station neared completion, scientists knew they would need to devise a way to keep the astronauts healthy during longer-term missions in space. Technology designed to maintain muscles and bones in space resulted in a better way those of us here on Earth can improve our health.