January
29

NASA vertical treadmill

See anything odd about that pic above? :)

Watch a short video of the NASA vertical treadmill in action on Earth, this is cool!

 

From the NASA Press Release:

NASA is using a new treadmill that allows people to run while suspended horizontally to help astronauts prepare for long-duration missions to the moon and beyond.

A team of engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland built the Standalone Zero Gravity Locomotion Simulator to imitate conditions astronauts experience while exercising in space. Exercise in microgravity helps lessen the harmful health effects of long-duration space travel, promoting astronauts’ well-being and mission success.

NASA currently is sending astronauts on six month missions to the International Space Station and plans to launch humans on missions to the moon by 2020. Crew members will benefit from data NASA gathers from bed rest studies conducted with the device. NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, will manage the studies that will be conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. NASA will use the locomotion simulator to develop improved exercise routines for astronauts during spaceflight.

Here’s more pics of the treadmill.

Here’s more information on the NASA exercise projects.

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