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June
15, 2009: International Space Station astronauts
are getting a new toy in August – a treadmill. Famously named
after comedian Stephen Colbert1, the new running
machine will help astronauts stay fit, fighting off the bone
loss and muscle decay2 that otherwise comes with
space travel.
Just
one problem: How do you run where there's no gravity to hold
your feet to the ground?
"Bungee
cords! You have to strap yourself to the treadmill,"
explains astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams. And she's
not joking.
In
2007, she ran the Boston Marathon on the station station's
TVIS treadmill wrapped in bungee cords for the entire 26.2
mile race.
"It's
not as bad as it sounds," she laughs.
Right:
Suni Williams bungeed to the TVIS treadmill onboard the ISS.
[more]
[larger image]
TVIS
stands for "Treadmill with Vibration Isolation System."
It's the space station's original treadmill, designed to allow
astronauts to run without vibrating delicate microgravity
science experiments in adjacent labs. COLBERT, short for "Combined
Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill",
has a different kind of vibration-suppression system plus
some other improvements3 for runners:
"I
tried a COLBERT mockup at Johnson Space Center," says
Williams. "It's broader than TVIS, so you don't have
to watch out where your feet go. It allows a wider, more natural
gait."
Williams
spent a lot of time running during her six months on board
the ISS, and she recalls what it's like:
"Just
getting ready to run is a workout when you're weightless. Before
all my training runs up there, I had to hook the toes of one
foot under a handrail to keep from floating around while I struggled
to put my sock and shoe on my other foot."
"I
did this so often, it made calluses on top of my feet. Meanwhile,
the calluses on the bottoms of my feet from running on Earth
went away. It's totally upside down and backwards!" she
laughs.
The
treadmill's bungee harness "can be a bit uncomfortable,"
she continues. "During the marathon my foot sometimes
went numb and tingly from the straps' pressure on my hip.
Also, I had to use moleskin where the harness rubbed my neck
raw."
And
inside the close, still quarters of the space station, there
are no gentle breezes to cool you down.
"Sweat
globs onto you. It doesn't evaporate. I was soaking wet. During
the marathon my hair was so sopping it flopped right in my
face. We have little fans blowing on us but they don't do
much good."
And
Williams missed more than the soft winds of Earth.
"On
Earth, the crowd cheers you on and you enjoy the camaraderie
and support of the other runners. In space it's a little bit
lonely. I was by myself most of race. My crewmates did cheer
me through the last half hour to the finish. That was great!"
"Also,
one of the Soyuz astronauts floated sweet, juicy pieces of
oranges to me – so refreshing!"
Right:
The official patch for "COLBERT," the Combined Operational
Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, due to launch
onboard shuttle Discovery as early as August 2009. [more]
[larger image]
After
the grueling run, Williams longed for a hot shower. "A
sponge bath just isn't the same!" she says. Neither did
she have a washer and dryer for cleaning her sweat-soaked
running clothes. "I hung my drenched clothes near a fan
and tied my sneakers to a handrail to air them out."
Williams
is the only person to have run the Boston Marathon on Earth
and in space—and she noted some interesting differences:
"I
recovered faster after the space marathon. When you're floating,
your muscles get to rest, so you can totally relax when you
finish running – it's like being in a pool."
"Also,
the space marathon didn't give me the same endorphin4 effect
– that wonderful mood lift runners enjoy after running – as
the Earth marathon did. I'm not sure why," she says.
"We are loaded with only about 60% of our Earth weight
on TVIS and its harness system, so maybe I just didn't work
hard enough!"
Williams
says she'd consider running another marathon on COLBERT. "If
another astronaut challenges my time, maybe I’ll do it. I
have a competitive nature."
When it comes to running, you could say "it's out of
this world."
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Author: Dauna Coulter
| Editor:
Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
end
notes |
(1)
Stephen Colbert hosts Comedy Central's "The Colbert
Report." NASA chose the new treadmill’s name after
he entered the Node 3 naming contest, asked his fans
to post the name "Colbert," and won. NASA
decided to honor him instead by naming the treadmill
after him.
(2) Exercise is crucial to the astronauts'
wellbeing. Without gravity, crewmembers lose bone and
muscle mass and their cardiovascular system weakens.
By exercising on COLBERT and other exercise devices,
they can counteract these effects and keep their bodies
in condition.
Williams says, "We need another
treadmill up there. On the station, just like at the
gym, sometimes you have to wait in line. The one of
us in line will ask the one on the treadmill, 'When
you gonna get off? I only have 30 minutes and I need
to get on there.' COLBERT will allow more astronauts
to get workouts more conveniently and frequently and
longer."
(3) To create COLBERT, NASA started
with a medical-grade treadmill -- the same kind used
in most professional sports organization to train their
athletes. Modifications included nickel plating the
parts, changing the sheathing of the wires, and taking
the rubber off the runner surface and anodizing it to
give it texture for footing. The designers also developed
a vibration isolation system for the new mill to prevent
upsetting delicate science experiments. In addition,
the engineers reinforced the rack that will hold the
new treadmill, so sans mill it weighs about 2200 pounds
-- much more than the rack on station now. Heavier mass
makes it absorb loads better instead of passing them
on to the space station itself. They also added special
springs called ‘isolators’ that absorb impact. The combination
of the springs and extra mass dampens out all the vibration
from running. All of this is done without using any
power.
Williams says: "Up on station,
COLBERT won't sit on a gyro like TEVIS does. It took
me a week to get used to running on TEVIS, which kind
of floats on a gyro in a pit so you don't impart loads
to the station. It makes it hard to get your balance.
You feel kind of like a top, with the ground moving
underneath you, until you get a rhythm going and get
stabilized. COLBERT won’t be on a gyro so won’t require
time to get used to. You can just hop on and run. It’s
stiffer and feels more stable. It will also have programs
to choose from: hill workouts, intervals etc. Not just
manual. That will had variety and make for some more
intense workouts, which will help improve our fitness
and bone density more."
(4) For more information about running
and endorphins, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/health/nutrition/27best.html
NASA's
Future: US
Space Exploration Policy |
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