Credit: Kansas State University
How best to develop a way to measure astronauts’ physical capacities and keep them safe in space, whether they are onboard the International Space Station, working on the Moon or outbound on a future mission to Mars?
A research project at Kansas State University is attempting to find out.
But who would have thought university students would be taking “obstacle courses” as part of higher education learning?
Space travel in microgravity environments weakens astronauts’ muscles, bone strength and cardiovascular systems. That makes it more difficult to perform simple physical tasks, such as climbing ladders, collecting rock samples or even walking.
A Kansas State University exercise physiology research project is being supported by a three-year, $1.2 million grant from NASA.
Three segments
The project is divided into three segments:
* Using an obstacle course of lunar tasks, the researchers are developing a set of tests that can evaluate the general fitness of an astronaut.
* The electrical engineering researchers are developing a set of sensors that can be placed on the body and measure muscle metabolism and activity while a person is performing the obstacle course in clothes or a space suit.
* The mechanical engineering researchers will develop a support system that suspends participants like a marionette to simulate microgravity environments.
Obstacle courses
The researchers worked with NASA to design four different obstacle courses that simulate various lunar tasks, such as climbing ladders, traversing a rock wall, turning knobs and transporting materials with a wheelbarrow.
“We looked at pictures and videos from the original Apollo missions to see what the astronauts were doing and if they ever made comments about what was difficult and what was easy,” noted Carl Ade, a doctoral student in anatomy and physiology.
Thomas Barstow, Kansas State University professor of kinesiology is the principal investigator of the project.
A year into the effort, researchers have worked with 30 participants in the obstacle course. They hope to gather data from more than 100 participants, split evenly between males and females.
Universal applications
The team is excited about the results they’ve gotten so far.
They have discovered that by having the participant run on a treadmill at different speeds — and timing how long it takes them to fatigue — they can fairly accurately predict that person’s time in the obstacle course.
“If we can utilize one treadmill test instead of multiple testing sessions…that would be beneficial for us and eventually for NASA,” said Ryan Broxterman, doctoral student in physiology.
The Kansas State University researchers also see universal applications for their findings. The data provides a model for evaluating occupational physiological requirements, and obstacle course tasks are similar to those performed by firefighters or police officers. The fitness tests could also be used for athletes and patient populations.
Check out this video, at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdKigRJaiA
By Leonard David