Under zero-g, muscles atrophy, heart rate changes, blood pressure increases, and bones demineralize by 1% to 2% for every month of space flight. With some astronauts remaining aloft for a year or more, that’s an awful lot of potential damage. Exercise helps; astronauts aboard the International Space Station are required to spend two hours a day on the treadmill and stationary bike. But that’s still not enough to reverse the problem. And it’s not just zero-g that can be hazardous. Long-term stays in the reduced gravity of the moon or Mars could have similar ill effects.
Now there may be a solution: robot pants. Read more.
by timemagazine