Maintaining Muscle Mass in Space
Astronaut Sandra Magnus, Expedition 18, exercises on the advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) aboard the ISS. Specialized exercise equipment that works in microgravity helps keep astronauts' muscles and bones from degenerating.
Courtesy of NASA.
Kenneth M. Baldwin, PhD, explains how and why muscles change during spaceflight, why this is important, and what can we do to limit muscle atrophy in space and on Earth.
Join Dr. Baldwin as he examines key properties of the skeletal muscle system and its inherent dependence on the force of gravity, and discusses what happens to muscles when gravity is eliminated, as during prolonged exposure to space flight or under conditions of prolonged bed rest (an analogue of spaceflight), and a strategy to maintain the integrity and functionality of skeletal muscle in the absence of gravity.
Companion slide set to the video, "Maintaining Muscle Mass in Space."
Funded by the following grant(s)
National Space Biomedical Research Institute
This work was supported by National Space Biomedical Research Institute through NASA cooperative agreement NCC 9-58.