RocketSTEM Issue #3 - October 2013 | Page 48

Importance of exercise while in orbit By Anthony Breitbach, PhD, ATC Human space flight is a physically demanding experience. It poses numerous risks, many of them are very evident, but some are hidden to the naked eye. The most important hidden health challenge is the bone density changes that are brought on by prolonged weightlessness. These bone density changes in the hip and back are very similar to those suffered by women with osteoporosis after menopause. Living in a minimal gravity environment during lengthy missions can set up astronauts for hip and spine fractures similar to those incurred by persons suffering from osteoporosis. NASA has been concerned about this problem for quite a long time and has held the NASA Bone Summit, bringing in experts to examine the problem. The recommendations from this panel of experts were presented in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Exercising is a part of the daily routine aboard the International Space Station. Pictured are astronauts Sunita Williams (above), and (following page clockwise, from top left) Karen Nyberg, Dan Photos: NASA Burbank, Nicole Stott, Joe Acaba and Ron Garan. 46 46 Research in June of 2013. There were four primary recommendations: • Astronauts need to have quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and hip strength assessments pre- an