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A spacesuit that simulates gravity in order to stop the atrophy astronauts suffer from has been tested by the European Space Agency for the first time on board the International Space Station.
In the weightless conditions of space, astronauts can lose up to 2% bone mass per month. Their spines can also stretch by up to 7cm, with most suffering mild to debilitating pain. Following flight, astronauts have four times the risk of herniated discs as the general population.
The Skinsuit is made of bi-directional elastics and gradually increases the vertical load from the wearer’s shoulders to their feet, simulating the loading regime normally imposed by bodyweight standing on earth.
The suit was worn by Denmark's first astronaut, Andreas Mogensen, for two days of a 10 day flight in the International Space Station (ISS) last month as part of an operational and technical evaluation. He took frequent height measurements, comfort and mobility surveys, skin swabs for hygiene assessments, and also exercised with the suit on the Station's bicycle ergometer.
The suit was invented by Dr James Waldie, an aerospace engineer and senior research associate at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and was inspired by a bodysuit worn by Australian gold medallist Cathy Freeman at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Dr Waldie said: “Given the impact of atrophy on astronauts in space, I wondered if a suit like the one worn by Freeman could fool the body into thinking it was on the ground rather than in space, and therefore stay healthy.
“We believe if we can reduce spinal elongation in space, we can reduce the stress on the intervertebral discs. This should help with pain in-flight, and the chances of slipped discs post-flight.”
The suit underwent rigorous ground and parabolic flight trials before being selected for the ISS mission and also had to pass a spaceflight qualification programme.
The Skinsuit has been developed in collaboration with scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kings College London and the European Space Agency. The suit was manufactured by Italian firm Dainese, best known for producing motorbike leathers for racing.
Mogensen has since returned to Earth but is yet to publicly report his findings as he undergoes de-briefing. The researchers are now developing further designs, sizing and manufacturing refinements for the suit.