FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — The astronauts on the Artemis Two mission around the moon are scheduled to start their in-space exercise regimen.
NASA says each astronaut will work out for 30 minutes a day while they’re up in space. The space agency says spaceflight can weaken muscles and decrease bone density without Earth’s gravity.
As the Artemis crew travels around the moon, they’ll use a small machine called a flywheel to work out while inside Orion.
FGCU exercise scientist Dr. Patricia Sawyer-Simmons says the machine works a lot like equipment you’d see in a gym here on Earth—similar to a rowing or cable machine.
“So, I mean, really, it’s a lot like an exercise band, except for it’s on a flywheel, so it’ll pull out with resistance and then roll back up,” Sawyer-Simmons said. “But it’s a lot like an exercise band that they might necessarily be able to use for squats, or with right tension, lower dead lifts.”
Exercise helps the crew to stay sharp physically and mentally during the mission. Sawyer-Simmons says the astronauts are performing at an elite level while conducting science in space.
“They’re elite performers, right? They have to be able to physically, mentally do their tasks, and we know that exercise supports mental function and physical function,” Sawyer-Simmons said. “So it would make sense that while they’re up there, they want to do the same thing.”
NASA says these daily workouts will continue throughout the rest of the mission.