Strange exercise equipment of astronauts in space

Living in a gravity-free environment, astronauts face the risk of osteoporosis, muscle loss and damage to the blood circulation.

On June 1, the Dragon Crew crew took two astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the ISS International Space Station on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Mark the event of putting people on the ISS by the first private ship in history.

The human body, with the same reflexes of muscle groups, is developed under the influence of Earth's gravity. When on the ground, humans use a lot of force to walk, stand and grasp objects.

Living in space without gravity, the astronauts face the risk of osteoporosis and reduced muscle mass because most of the time they are hovering, do not use too much force to live.

According to The Verge, astronauts must train 90-120 minutes a day, 6 days a week to protect the body from changes when living in a gravity-free environment.

Astronauts must tie themselves to the rubber band to prevent it from drifting away from the treadmill. (Photo: NASA).

The International Space Station is equipped with 3 exercise machines including: a bicycle, a treadmill and a weightlifting machine called ARED. Each machine will have the function of serving each body part.

• Treadmill is designed as a normal treadmill. Astronauts are forced to attach their bodies to a rubber strap system, which keeps them from drifting off the treadmill. They will then try to slip on a running table, which is good for the heart and helps improve blood circulation.
• Bicycle is designed without a seat. Instead, the astronaut will lean on the pad at the back, keeping the body fixed with the handles on the sides. This device helps astronauts practice the entire lower body such as the thighs, legs and feet
• Weights have no effect in a zero-gravity environment, so ARED uses a vacuum cylinder to simulate weight, helping astronauts perform the exercises to develop the chest, shoulder and buttock muscles.

Weightlifting machine uses vacuum cylinder to simulate weight. (Photo: NASA).

According to NASA, when living outside the Earth, muscle mass will decrease by 11-17% and bone mineral density will decrease by 2-7% in every 180 days. Therefore, exercise plays a very important role to maintain the health of astronauts.

In addition to muscular and skeletal changes, ISS staff also experience effects related to the movement of blood in the body. When living in a zero-gravity environment, the blood and body fluids can move backward to the head, causing circulatory disorders or affecting vision.

However, most of the health problems mentioned above are temporary and will disappear when the astronauts return to Earth.