Artificial Gravity Prevents Muscle Loss in Space
Written by WTJ on July 23, 2009 – 4:37 pm -
Regardless one is Astronaut, Cosmonaut, Taikonaut or Spationaut, the longer time a person stayed in zero gravity, the more muscle one will lose. Normally space travellers who stayed in zero-gravity space for long length of time, they might end up unable to walk or even sit up.
First human trial on NASA’s Short Radius Centrifuge involving 15 healthy male volunteers was ran by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas. The centrifuge will spin the subjects’ feet outward 30 times a minute, which creates a 2.5 times more gravity force onto the subjects. The results showed that an hour a day on the centrifuge helped to prevent muscle loss by restoring muscle synthesis.
The paper was published by the researchers in July issue of Journal of Applied Physiology.
Related posts:
Tags: A. A. Ferrando, Astronaut, centrifuge, Cosmonaut, D. L. Chinkes, D. Paddon-Jones, Douglas Paddon-Jones, Fibromyalgia, fitness, M. Sheffield-Moore, muscle, muscle synthesis, Muscular Dystrophy, NASA, Short Radius Centrifuge, space, Spationaut, T. B. Symons, Taikonaut, University of Texas Medical Branch | No Comments »
