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Countermeasures to Loss of Muscle and Bone During Spaceflight

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The Human Body and Weightlessness

Abstract

Bone and muscle loss is currently one of the major concerns for long duration spaceflights and will become especially important in exploratory missions [1, 2]. Extended stays on planetary bodies such as asteroids, the Moon and Mars will also encounter this problem for their gravity is only a fraction of that on Earth (1/6 and 1/3 respectively). Prevention of this loss of bone and muscle, especially bone, has been a major effort of NASA’s life science. Currently it is being given special attention as an essential part of future exploratory missions. However, a comment by a leading investigator in this area made some years ago is even more pertinent with the release of a summary of exercise countermeasures during the first decade of ISS. “It is remarkable that so little progress has been made in understanding and alleviating this important problem [3].” It took less than half that time from Goddard’s first successful rockets for man to reach the Moon. In addition to time and effort, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on this problem both on Earth and in space to date (Fig. 7.1).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are some discrepancies between the following text and some published reports including the first decade summary of exercise on ISS. Statements made here are based on large archives of original records at JSC and the University of Texas Medical Branch.

  2. 2.

    It was a variable capstan with a rope and handles, a true resistance device.

  3. 3.

    These devices could be found in popular department stores at that time. The flown assembly was afterwards adopted by the Russians and flown for decades on their vehicles.

  4. 4.

    This device was known as the Exergym®

  5. 5.

    This was based on the average body weight of crewmember that was 70 kg. This 90 kg unalterable overload was deliberate.

  6. 6.

    Mechanical design and construction was done by Henry Whitmore.

  7. 7.

    Expanders appear to be elastic cords used in a variety of arm exercises.

  8. 8.

    Although food should not be considered a countermeasure, absence of an adequate diet will insure loss of muscle or bone. See Chap. 10.

  9. 9.

    Intermittent muscle forces of a few percent of forces used in walking keep the body in balance.

  10. 10.

    This is Einstein’s “equivalency” of gravity and inertia, an integral and essential part of his general theory of relativity.

  11. 11.

    Heels are usually, but not always, the first foot contact on falling back to ground at the end of a step when foot velocity is greatest. Other portions of the foot may make first contact in some people.

  12. 12.

    Henry Whitmore of Whitmore Enterprise, San Antonio, Texas.

  13. 13.

    Several bed rest studies used the FWED but always in combination with other exercise such that its effects were contaminated.

  14. 14.

    One RM max is a single maximum effort action.

  15. 15.

    This was equivalent to dragging a chain on a track. This had to produce great differences in the two modes. Conclusions were that effects of the two modes were very different and use of the passive mode questionable.

  16. 16.

    Bungees were made such that a minimum of 80 kg force versus crew BW 70 kg was applied.

  17. 17.

    There is a very rapid gain in strength after landing. In this case actual loss was almost certainly larger.

  18. 18.

    Includes setup and clean up time.

  19. 19.

    The report’s author is likely accurate in listing the treadmill as aerobic for loading was too small to affect strength.

  20. 20.

    Alendronate, 70 mg, an antiresorptive drug taken orally each day.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA

    William Thornton

  2. Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

    Frederick Bonato

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Thornton, W., Bonato, F. (2017). Countermeasures to Loss of Muscle and Bone During Spaceflight. In: The Human Body and Weightlessness. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32829-4_7

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