Microgravity countermeasures

Exercise
Devices
Links

The Russian equipment to counter the effects of long-term exposure to microgravity consist of specialized equipment and exercise regimes, which are summarized here.

Exercise

If cosmonauts and astronauts wish to return to Earth in reasonable health, daily exercise is a must! People in space lose as much calcium in their bones each month as a menopausal woman does in a year, so load-bearing exercise is the only way so far to help combat this. Obviously, lifting weights is not possible in microgravity, so pulling elastic bands and aerobic exercise while secured are ways developed to allow exercise in this environment.

On the International Space Station (and previously on Mir), crew members are required to exercise for 2½ hours per day (half of this time is used for setup and post-exercise personal hygiene). This is not done in one block but divided into two sessions, usually one session aerobic (cardiovascular) and the other anerobic (muscle-loading/conditioning).

Example from an Expedition 11 timeline (17/6):

Time	Crewperson	Activity
11:00-12:00	CDR	Physical Exercise (VELO + Force Loader 1) day 1
11:05-12:05	FE-1	Physical exercise (TVIS)
16:45-18:15	FE-1	Physical exercise (RED)
16:45-18:15	CDR	Physical Exercise (TVIS) Day 1
18:35-18:40	FE-1	Transfer TVIS, RED, and HRM data to MEC

Data is transferred to an onboard laptop computer and then to the ground for specialists to analyze.

The main types of exercise available on the International Space Station (as was the case on Mir) are running on a treadmill, bicycling on a cycle ergometer and resistance training using cables (lifting weights is obviously ineffective in microgravity!). The U.S. equipment on board consistes of:

CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System), located in Destiny. Aerobic. The user fastens himself to the wall behind with a seatbelt and pedals away. No seat is necessary. The Vibration Isolation System is a type of suspension which prevents the user’s motion on the cycle from transmitting through the module.
RED (Resistance Exercise Device), on the roof of Unity. The user pulls on resistant cords to tone his or her muscles. Anerobic. Up to 195 kg of resistance is available in increments of 2.3 kg. Data from training sessions is stored on a laptop and can be downlinked to Mission Control. Exercises that can be done are squat, dead lift, bent rows, calf raises, leg extension, leg curl, knee lift, leg abduction, leg adduction, lateral raises, military press, chest/butterfly, biceps, triceps, side bends.
TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation System), located at the rear of Zvezda, between the two cabins and just behind the Galley table. This 400-kilo monster is suspended by cables inside a pit in the floor, and stabilized by a gyroscope when a user runs on it, strapped down by a shoulder harness. The suspension system was developed so as to avoid transferring the vibration throughout the module (when Mir’s crews ran on its fixed treadmill, the whole station had oscillated). It can be operated in an active (powered) or passive (nonpowered) mode. Aerobic.

Devices

Since the era of the Salyut space stations, the Russians have developed various pieces of equipment to aid cosmonauts in staying healthy during their time onboard.

Braslet
«Браслет»

The Braslet (“Bracelet”) is a set of compression cuffs and straps worn in a crewmember’s first few days of adapting to the microgravity environment. Fluid naturally tends to accumulate in the upper portions of the body away from the legs, causing some discomfort (such as stuffy sinuses) and the Braslet is used to counteract this by compressing the lower extremities and forcing blood to circulate there.

Braslet and Braslet-М units should be used during acute phase of adaptation to microgravity for prevention of its adverse effect on cardiovascular system. During operation, compression cuffs are attached to belt using pull-up straps. Belt is used to secure compression cuffs in working position on crewmember’s thighs using freely moving pull-up straps. Braslet and Braslet-М units in their working state create compression in upper thirds of crewmember’s thighs. This causes a part of circulating blood volume to relocate from upper body to lower extremities, which corrects the adverse hemodynamic effect of microgravity, thus improving crewmember’s working capability.

– Service Module Medical Operations, Book 1

Braslet and Braslet-M units diagram (12 KB)

Chibis
«Чибис»

The Chibis is a reduced-pressure mechanical device that provides negative pressure around the wearer’s lower body in order to assess cardiovascular fitness prior to return to Earth. (It was evidently the inspiration for the Wallace & Gromit movie, The Wrong Trousers…) Blood is forced down to the wearer’s legs, increasing the heart rate and giving the crewmember a cardiovascular workout.

Description from On-Orbit Reports:

In preparation for his return to gravity, Sasha had the first preliminary training session in the Chibis LBNP suit (lower body negative pressure; Russian: ODNT, ОДНТ), assisted by Mike Foale. [Chibis is the Russian below-the-waist reduced-pressure device designed to provide gravity-simulating stress to the body’s cardiovascular/circulatory system. The suit forms an airtight seal around the waist and applies suction to the lower body. The preparatory training generally consists of first imbibing 150-200 milliliters of water or juice, followed by a sequence of progressive regimes of reduced (“negative”) pressure, set at -15, -20, -25, and -30 mmHg (Torr) for five minutes each while shifting from foot to foot at 10-12 steps per minute, while wearing a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure. The body’s circulatory system interprets the pressure differential between upper and lower body as a gravity-like force pulling the blood (and other liquids) down. It prepares the body’s orthostatic tolerance (e.g., the Gauer-Henry reflex) after Sasha’s six-month stay in zero-G. Chibis data and biomed cardiovascular readings are recorded. The Chibis suit (not to be confused with the Russian Pinguin suit for spring-loaded body compression, or the Kentavr anti-g suit worn during reentry) is similar to the U.S. LBNP facility (not a suit) used for the first time on Skylab in 1973/74, although it appears to accomplish its purpose quicker.]

– ISS On-Orbit Report: 12 April 2004

It was also time for Salizhan to complete the second of two final 1.5-hr. training sessions in the Chibis ODNT suit as part of his preparations for returning into gravity, after the first session on 7/4. Since there was no telemetry downlink, his vital body readings were again obtained with the Tensoplus sphygmomanometer. A tagup with ground specialists via S-band supported the run, and Leroy Chiao assisted as CMO. [The below-the-waist reduced-pressure device ODNT (US: LBNP, Lower Body Negative Pressure) in the Chibis garment provides gravity-simulating stress to the body’s cardiovascular/circulatory system for reestablishing the body’s orthostatic tolerance (e.g., the Gauer-Henry reflex) after the six-month stay in zero-G. Salizhan’s ODNT protocol today consisted of first drinking 150-200 milliliters of water or juice, followed by a sequence of progressive regimes of reduced ( negative ) pressure, set at -20, -25, -30 and -35 mmHg for five minutes each, while shifting from foot to foot at 10-12 steps per minute. The body’s circulatory system interprets the pressure differential between upper and lower body as a gravity-like force pulling the blood (and other liquids) down.]

– ISS On-Orbit Report: 12 April 2005

Chibis suit (ПВК-1) diagram (106 KB)

Kentavr
«Кентавр»

The Kentavr (“Centaur”) is a corset-like garment worn like a pair of shorts. It is tightly-laced and worn during descent to keep blood from pooling in the legs on the return to gravity (similar to a g-suit worn by fighter pilots).

Countermeasure for circulatory disturbance;
prevents crewmemeber from overloading during descent;
increases ortostatic tolerance during post-flight adaptation.

Description from an On-Orbit Report:

Aboard the ISS, the crew worked on the Russian Kentavr (Centaur) garments, doing fit-checks and adjusting them for their individual sizes. The suits are kept in the habitation module of the Soyuz TMA until undock day. The activity was supported by a tagup with ground specialists via S-band. [The Russian Kentavr garment is a protective anti-g suit ensemble to facilitate the return of a long-duration crewmember into the Earth gravity. Consisting of shorts, gaiters, underpants, jersey and socks, it acts as countermeasure for circulatory disturbance, prevents crewmember from overloading during descent and increases orthostatic tolerance during post-flight adaptation. Sizing consists of adjusting lacing on the outer side of the shorts and on the inner side of the gaiters to achieve a tight fit.]

– ISS On-Orbit Report: 14 October 2004

Kentavr protective suit diagram (28 KB)

Pingvin-3
«Пингвин-3»

The Pingvin-3 suits are light blue jumpsuits embedded with sewn-in elastic straps which provide resistance loads for the wearer in response to their arm and body movement. This provides exercise for their musculoskeletal system and thus combat the deleterious effects of microgravity. The wearer is to make periodic pedaling leg movements for 5-10 min, 6-8 times per day. The suit is replaced after 45 days of wear.

Pingvin-3 constant-loading suit diagram (42 KB)

VELO VB-3
ВЕЛО ВБ-3

The VELO (from the Russian велоэргометр, veloergometr) is a stationary bike/ergometer with a load trainer. The Russian exercise device is set into Zvezda’s floor (under Panel 121). It serves as a multifunction exercise machine, and is used for various Russian fitness tests and medical experiments.

The pedals can be used for hand or foot pedaling. The latter mode is used to condition the arms and shoulders for spacewalks. During hand pedaling, the actual pedal is removed and the hands grip each pedal shaft.

The operator is strapped down to the seat with a harness.

Diagrams (from the Service Module Medical Operations, Book 1, issued by Energiya in 2000):