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KIDS: Our World!
EVAN: I... can... do...it! Whoo.
Well, I'm continuing to train my body to be as fit as it can be.
You know astronauts spend a lot of time on fitness too.
Here's a question for you. How much time do you think
astronauts spend on fitness while in space?
KID 1: 30 Minutes?
KID 2: I like to get up and play for sixty a day!
EVAN: Astronauts spend more than an hour a day on fitness.
Why do you think that is?
KID 1: Training for a space marathon?
KID 2: To win the first outerspace body building competition! Grrr!
EVAN: Exercising is a priority in space almost
as important as eating and sleeping.
Space exploration is a very important job.
In order to do their job effectively, astronauts have
to make physical fitness a high priority in their day.
Doing this helps them stay healthy when they return from space.
In space there is no gravity for their bodies to work against.
You might be wondering, "Well why would I want to work against gravity?"
EVAN: Well, your body working against the pushing force of
gravity actually helps keep you fit and healthy.
Without that opposing force in space our bodies become very lazy.
And a lazy body returning to Earth is not a good thing.
Hey Globey, maybe I can get some workout tips from our
friends over at NASA Johnson Space Center. They help keep our NASA astronauts healthy.
HEATHER VAN VELSON: Hi Evan.
EVAN: I was wondering if mabe you could show us some of the
equipment astronauts use to stay healthy.
HEATHER: I'd be really happy to talk to you about the
exercise equipment that they have in space.
The astronauts have three different pieces of exercise hardware that they use.
They have a treadmill, they have a stationary bicycle,
and they have resistive exercise.
This is called CVIS, it's like the astronauts stationary bike.
In space, since they don't have gravity, they don't need a seat sit on.
The astronauts just let their bodies float.
So, they have special shoes that can clip into the pedals.
Like that. Now they won't float away while their exercising.
This is the ARED which is kind of like the astronauts weight lifting machine.
Here on the ground, the way we do our weightlifting is we
use barbells and dumbbells to provide resistance to make our muscles strong,
but in space those barbells and dumbbells wouldn't work
because without gravity, they don't weigh anything.
So instead, they have to use this special machine, ARED.
The way it works is it has these two cylinders and all
the air is pushed out of those cylinders and that creates a vacuum.
So the astronaut has to pull against the vacuum to lift
the bar and which gives the bar a certain amount of weight.
Behind me is TVIS. This is the treadmill.
They use this treadmill to get their aerobic exercise
which is good for their heart. And also they use it
for strengthening their bones.
In space without gravity, the astronauts would just float
off of the treadmill, so they have to use bunjees like this one.
And they attach those to a harness and these things will
pull the astronauts down and keep them on top of the
treadmill so can run and get a good workout.
EVAN: The tread on that machine looks a little different than the one I seen at the gym.
HEATHER: That's right. This one has stainless steel slats on the belt.
They did used to have plastic, but when it went up
to space with all the astronauts pounding on it
every time they ran, the slats, the plastic, little
pieces of it would break off and float around in space and
that's really dangerous because it can get in the astronauts eyes.
EVAN: So that's a newer and improved version.
HEATHER: Yes, we try to do that a lot , we capture
mistakes that happen or damage and we try to make
sure that doesn't happen in the future by redesigning old parts or designing new parts.
EVAN: It looks like you're doing another exercise on that machine.
HEATHER: That's right, right now Dr. Lindgren is doing bicep curls.
ARED also has a cable or an exercise rope that comes out
of the platform and he can pull on that rope
and do several different exercises.
EVAN: NASA is currently preparing for missions back to the Moon and Mars.
The lucky astronauts that get to participate in these
missions will have to exercise in order to stay
healthy during these long missions. Who will those astronauts be?
Who knows, it could be you!
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KIDS: Our World!