To aid the design of equipment and learn more about the efficacy of exercise in space, a vertical, floating treadmill simulates astronaut exercise on Earth.

Current in-flight exercise regimens, dietary and vitamin supplements, and pre-flight conditioning have not prevented bone loss during long-duration flights such as those on Russia's Mir Space Station and the International Space Station. Also, long-duration exposure to microgravity produces functional deficits in skeletal muscle. These include atrophy in the muscles of the lower extremities and losses in strength and power, a shift in appearance and contractile quality of muscle, and deficits in motor control and movement, which may lead to injury.

• Ground-based simulation of on-orbit exercise devices;
• Balance and coordination training combined with resistance exercise;
• Specific exercise prescriptions tailored to individual astronauts;
• Pharmacological therapies for bone loss, including bisphosphonates, parathyroid hormone and antioxidants;
• Compounds and pharmacologic agents to protect against muscle weakness and fatigue, and;
• Evolving technology to design improved exercise modalities.

Earth Applications
The Team's research will lead to solutions for problems encountered on Earth:

• A practical countermeasure to lessen atrophy and weakness would directly benefit individuals immobilized by injury or surgery;
• Methods to prevent and reduce bone loss that can be used for treatment of osteoporosis and for other patients such as paraplegics, who experience increased bone loss;
• Improved exercise techniques to maximize maintenance of bone mass for people suffering from bone disorders;
• A countermeasure to inhibit fatigue would benefit a broad range of people whose work requires physical exertion ranging from military personnel to firefighters, police officers and construction workers;
• Insight into practical ways to improve muscle mass and lean body mass in both young and old individuals, and application to sports training as a means to help aging individuals maintain strength in their limb muscles, thus reducing accidents and injury, and;
• Novel therapies may be developed to prevent or treat the marked wasting of muscle seen in bed-ridden patients and ones with systemic disease (cardiac failure, cancer, sepsis, AIDS).