Salford professor on gravity-defying journey to improve astronauts’ bone health
University of Salford Professor of Strength and Conditioning, Paul Comfort, has completed two weeks of research and testing to help improve the musculoskeletal health of future astronauts in conditions designed to mimic space.
The two-week parabolic flight campaign, during which an aircraft performs manoeuvres to create periods of weightlessness, simulating the microgravity effects of space travel, was jointly funded by the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency.
Funding was secured by John Kennett (Physical Mind London [Inventor of HIFIm] and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Salford) and Prof. Dan Cleather (St Mary’s University, UK) to evaluate the utility of HIFIm (High Frequency Impulse for MicroGravity) as an exercise countermeasure for long duration space flight.
The research team also included staff and students from Charles University (Prague, Czechia), and St Mary’s University (UK), physiotherapist and triathlete Becky Owen and reserve astronaut Dr Meganne Christian.
In space astronauts can lose up to 1.5% of their bone mineral density per month. Exercises performed on the HIFIm, such as “jumping”, aim to help reduce this. Individuals lie on their backs, legs bent and feet pushing onto a vertical “jump board”. Pushing from the legs, the individual slides away from the jump board and returns safely back on the jump board generating impact forces to stimulate bone metabolism.
The team collected an extensive amount of data during the campaign, using a range of instruments including force platforms, accelerometers and Xsens motion capture technology. This data was used to evaluate how effective a range of resistance exercises, jumping and aerobic activities could be in maintaining muscle strength, bone health and aerobic capacity while astronauts are in space.
The team’s findings could also expand beyond space flight, with plans to determine the effectiveness of HIFIm as an exercise and rehabilitation device on Earth, focussing on its potential to prevent and treat osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Paul said: “I’m proud to have been a part of this research, working collaboratively with partners to explore how we support our astronauts to stay safe and well on long space flights. Excitingly, this work could also have positive implications back on planet Earth too – enabling healthier living for all of us.”
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