Running around a “wall of death” could keep people healthy on the Moon, according to new research.
Scientists from the University of Milan They tied people to bungee cords to replicate lunar gravity and asked them to run around a rented ‘wall of death’, which they had borrowed from an amusement park.
The test subjects needed to run fast enough to avoid sliding down the wall, which is generally impossible on Earth. With the reduced gravity created by the bungee cords, they were able to stick to the wall for several turns.
O exercise it had a high enough impact that “just twice a day, for three or four laps” was enough to keep astronauts’ muscles and bones healthy on the Moon, researcher Professor Alberto Minetti told Sky News.
“We were very surprised,” added Professor Minetti.
Exercise on the Moon has worried researchers for years. The reduced gravity up there means astronauts’ muscles support 83% less body weight than on Earth.
Without all this load support, astronauts risk fitness levels drop, your muscles atrophy, and osteoporosis-like symptoms develop as your bones become brittle.
Sometimes signs of this are visible when they land back on Earth after a stint on the International Space Station and need help getting up or walking.
American astronaut Chris Cassidy is taken upon landing in Kazakhstan, after 166 days on the International Space Station. Photo: AP
Professors Minetti, Francesco Luciano, Valentina Natalucci and Gaspare Pavei wanted to find a “time and economical way” to keep fit on the Moon and the ‘wall of death’ could be surprisingly practical.
Although its shape is not common here on Earth, some of the habitations planned for the Moon are circular, according to Professor Minetti, and have the right diameter for training the “wall of death”.
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This would mean that few extra materials would need to be carried there, as astronauts could simply run along the walls of their homes.
“In theory, there would be no extra electricity, no extra space and it would not interfere much with the astronauts’ work and other activities,” he said.
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The Artemis mission, led by NASAwill involve building a permanent camp on the moon.
“The first few missions will include short stays on the surface, but as the base camp evolves, the goal is to allow the crew to remain on the lunar surface for up to two months at a time,” according to NASA’s Artemis website.
Astronauts will work on the first mission to send humans to Mars, as well as explore how life can be supported on the Moon.
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