Technical Paper
Exercise Countermeasures: Optimizing Human Performance for Space
1996-07-01
961346
Prolonged microgravity exposures induce physiological changes that result in deconditioning of the cardiovascular, neurosensory, and musculoskeletal systems. These changes may have important implications as flight durations lengthen and specific mission tasks place higher demands on crewmembers (e.g., space station construction, extravehicular activity contingencies, emergency egress). Historically, the United States and Russia have incorporated a variety of countermeasures in an effort to maintain human health and performance of crewmembers before, during, and after space flight. The NASA countermeasure strategy is focused on the validation of exercise prescriptions and systems for a variety of flight programs: Space Shuttle, Mir, and International Space Station (ISS).