The Exercise Countermeasures Laboratory (ECL) at the NASA Glenn Research Center was developed as a ground-based test analog for simulating in-flight (microgravity) and surface (partial gravity) exercise to advance the health and safety of astronaut crews and the next generation of space explorers.
International Space Station Astronaut Donald Pettit runs on a simulated zero-gravity treadmill on the eZLS in Glenn’s Exercise Countermeasures Laboratory.
The ECL features the Enhanced Zero Gravity Locomotion Simulator (eZLS), designed to support the development and validation of advanced exercise countermeasure devices, requirements, and exercise prescriptions for mitigating the detrimental physiological effects of long-duration space flight.
Without gravity to work against, muscles and bones weaken, and to date, no exercise regimen has been effective in mitigating these changes in spacecraft crew members. To improve exercise routines and equipment for crew members, the Exercise Countermeasures Project at Glenn developed the eZLS in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic and ZIN Technologies, Inc. Research testing on the simulator began in the summer of 2006, and studies with human participants are underway. Research areas include improving crew comfort during exercise, exercise prescription and hardware optimization based on directly measured mechanical dose to the musculoskeletal system, and developing and characterizing advanced exercise device concepts for exploration class missions.
The eZLS features a treadmill that floats on a thin film of air and interfaces to a force reaction frame via a set of four variably compliant isolators. The isolators can be configured to simulate compliant interfaces to the vehicle, which affects mechanical loading to crewmembers during exercise. A subject suspension system simulates a reduced-gravity environment by completely or partially offloading the weight of the exercising test subject’s head, torso, arms, and legs. From a freestanding truss superstructure that stands 20 ft from ground level, a test subject is suspended horizontally for zero-gravity simulations or at the appropriate pitch angle for partial-gravity simulations. The suspension system uses remotely operated motors to allow adjustment of tension in the suspension bungee cords and speeds the setup operations. The subject’s body weight relative to the treadmill is controlled via a motorized subject load device. This device employs a force-feedback closed-loop control system to provide a relatively constant force to the test subject during locomotion, and it is set and verified for subject safety prior to each session.
Variably compliant isolators.
Experiments conducted using the eZLS may help medical researchers to develop methods to help prevent osteoporosis on Earth as well as in space because the mechanism of bone and muscle loss is very similar, though greatly accelerated during space travel. The eZLS will be used as a ground-based testbed to support future missions for space exploration and will eventually be used to simulate planetary locomotion in partial gravity environments, including the Moon and Mars.
Find out more about the eZLS:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/eZLS_treadmill_010306.html
Last updated: December 15, 2007
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