PLANS have been unveiled for Moon astronauts to keep fit by using a “wheel of death” which will be key to long-term survival while not on Earth.
The human body experiences dramatic changes when in a low-gravity environment, such as on the Moon, as muscles atrophy, bones lose mass and control over your body declines.
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It is crucial astronauts who spend any time outside of Earth’s atmosphere must take regular exercise while on a space mission.
If they don’t, they will struggle to function on even a basic level when they return to Earth’s gravity.
Researchers at the University of Milan have now devised a new form of exercise to keep future moonwalkers in shape.
It involves running along the inside of a Wheel of Death, commonly seen in circuses and theme parks.
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A Wheel of Death usually consists of a large ring laid on its side.
A participant has to keep their speed up and they run along the inside of the wheel quickly enough to avoid the gravitational pull and falling off the wheel.
Performing this stunt in Earth’s gravity is nigh-on impossible just using human feet.
To pull it off though, some form of motorised transport, usually a motorcycle, is needed.
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But on the Moon, which has one-sixth of Earth’s gravity, it should be possible for a human to run along the inside of a Wheel.
It could be a way to stimulate running on a flat surface in much higher gravities.
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The researchers in Milan tested this out to see if it actually was possible.
They rented a Wheel of Death measuring 30.8 feet across and had two humans run along inside while they were supported by bungee cords from above to simulate gravity conditions on the Moon.
After just five to eight attempts, both participants were able to ascend the Wheel and run along the inside and also descend back down to the ground.
When the researchers analysed the runners’ speeds, stride length and the force of their feet hitting the ground, they determined the runners were experiencing conditions not unlike running on Earth.
Following those results, the authors of the research believe astronauts doing a few laps around a Wheel on the Moon every day could be just what is needed to prevent the body’s degeneration.
Alberto Minetti, professor of physiology at the University of Milan, said: “I’m amazed that nobody had the idea before.
“This could be a convenient way to train on the moon.”
A human has not stepped foot on the Moon since the end of the Apollo programme in 1972.
Nasa’s Artemis astronauts are due to fly around the moon next year with a follow-up mission to the surface expected in 2026.
While an actual Wheel of Death won’t be transported into space, astronauts could be housed in circular habitats, allowing them to run around the walls, according to the findings the research team published in Royal Society Open Science.
While Nick Caplan, professor of aerospace medicine and rehabilitation at Northumbria University, Newcastle, called the proposal “novel” he did question if early lunar habitats would be big enough to accommodate such a running track.
Prof Caplan and his colleagues are currently working on new approaches to exercise in space and the Moon, including inflatable cuffs to compress limbs and restrict blood flow.
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He said: “Blood flow restriction exercise has been shown in studies on Earth to give similar muscle, bone and cardiorespiratory training benefits normally seen during higher intensity exercise, at much lower exercise intensities and durations.
“This may, therefore, make existing exercise countermeasures more effective at keeping astronauts healthy without the need for a lunar Wall of Death.”
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