Mars Exercise System

Current exercise countermeasure systems (CMS) for long-duration spaceflight are not sufficient to meet both the complex health needs of crews on extended stays while also adhering to the strict requirements for mass, volume, and power for future long-duration exploration missions to the moon or Mars. This project will identify Exercise Capabilities requirements associated with musculoskeletal, aerobic, and sensorimotor health maintenance for long duration space travel as well as durations on the Martian surface, as well as the Gaps in requirement rationale. A Gap Closure Plan will be developed and followed during this multi-year project to converge on strictly necessary requirements backed by evidence from research data. Technology gaps will be identified between state-of-the-art technology and needs, and these gaps will be addressed through thoughtful development of subsystem technology. Human-in-the-loop testing will be used to evaluate feasibility and efficacy of subsystems, and requirements will be updated accordingly. Physiologic monitoring tools will also be integrated and/or developed, and software decision support tools will be investigated and potentially advanced as well. Adjunct countermeasure technology will be researched, integrated, developed, and evaluated, including any that may multiply the effectiveness of other countermeasure technology given certain mass, power, volume, and other requirements. Rehabilitation subsystem capabilities will also be investigated for potential subsystem development. Resulting evaluation data from subsystem testing and analysis may lead to development and integration of a multimodal system, which may in turn serve as a NASA reference system for the production of Mars program vehicle requirements and eventual spaceflight countermeasure system, or even as a potential option for future downselect consideration. 

The project will ultimately seek to develop a Mars-focused exercise countermeasure system to meet programmatic requirements for protecting crew health and physical performance abilities within a Mars Transit and Surface Exploration mission design. Comprised of Engineering and Exercise Science experts at Johnson Space Center, the project team will draw on historical knowledge, the existing database of spaceflight health and performance outcomes relative to in-flight countermeasure implementation, current subject matter expert (SME) experience in developing and implementing exercise countermeasures, as well as prospective mission architecture documentation to baseline a set of design requirements for the exercise system and its capabilities. These capabilities will include resistance, aerobic, and sensorimotor exercise training of various modalities to allow for the execution of a comprehensive set of prescriptions, as well as integrated software, a graphical user interface, and the ability to integrate with performance monitoring systems (i.e., aerobic capacity monitor).

The Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (EPC) laboratory will develop and baseline functional requirements for a Mars Transit vehicle CMS aiming to maintain multi-system health and performance of all crewmembers across outbound and return mission phases. Additionally, the JSC Engineering team will assess the latest available Mars design reference mission information and vehicle architecture, as well as other representative vehicle constraints, to generate best estimates for assumptions/constraints that will define design parameters, such as those related to mass, power, volume, thermal, acoustic, vibration, and electromagnetic compatibility.

This effort will baseline and revise the Exercise Capabilities requirements for a Mars design reference mission; identify and address requirements gaps with an evidence-based approach; identify technology gaps associated with the baselined requirements (including those related to aerobic monitoring); integrate and develop subsystem technologies to address these gaps; and evaluate these advancements in technology through human-in-the-loop studies. Resulting evaluation data from subsystem testing and analysis may lead to development and integration of a multimodal system, which may in turn serve as a NASA reference system for the production of Mars program vehicle requirements and eventual spaceflight countermeasure system, or even as a potential option for future downselect consideration.

Ultimately, this project will develop the technology necessary, and currently lacking, to provide a candidate countermeasure system for crew health maintenance during a Mars design reference mission.

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