The space race to create gym equipment for future astronauts

The space race to create gym equipment for future astronauts1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHarriet BradshawJohn KennettRower Matthew Wells says he's done a lot of training but nothing like this. Olympic medallist Matthew Wells rows as hard as he can as his body begins to float up for 22 seconds.Instead of a boat and water beneath him, he is 8500m (28000 ft) above the ground on a plane maneuvering to create weightless space-like conditions.He's part of a different kind of race, one to create the equipment to keep the astronauts of the future fit during space missions.The British invention he's trialling is amongst others being developed across the world, competing with the hope of a place on upcoming moon bases and space stations. ESA/NovespaceThe equipment was tested on a parabolic flight, which creates weightless 'space-like' conditionsAstronauts have to work hard to keep fit in space to maintain muscle mass and bone density, but current machines need them to set aside a lot of time every day to maintain a certain level of fitness."Isn't it every kid's dream to be an astronaut?" Wells says. "It's an opportunity to be able to do something really different."Wells, who won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, says contributing to something that might end up in space is "out of this world".The European Space Agency (Esa), Nasa, the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency have all played some part in the equipment's development and testing, including Esa providing the parabolic flight tests.This is where a plane climbs and nose dives to create weightless conditions like in space, giving the researchers 22 seconds to gather data before the maneuver is repeated to build up their analysis.ESA/NASAAstronauts have to work out for at least two hours a day on the International Space Station to maintain fitnessCalled HIFIm (High-Frequency Impulse for Microgravity), the kit has alre...