Maintaining Muscle Mass in Space
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.
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Funding
National Space Biomedical Research Institute
This work was supported by National Space Biomedical Research Institute through NASA cooperative agreement NCC 9-58.