ARED exercise protocol for Commercial Crew

This project comes from the flight surgeons in the Exploration Medical program. They are wanting to find a 1-3 month exercise protocol for commercial crew that would use the ARED device on a short mission to the ISS.

Executive Summary

This NASA-inspired student research project, designed for grades 9–12, challenges students to optimize exercise protocols for astronauts aboard the International Space Station using the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). The project integrates biology, physics, health science, and engineering design around a central question in space medicine: can we know in real time whether an astronaut's exercise plan is actually protecting their bones and muscles while they're still in orbit? Students learn how the ARED — a vacuum cylinder and flywheel-based resistance machine — substitutes for gravity-dependent Earth weight training, then apply bone physiology, biomechanics, and exercise science principles to design a science-backed, 1–3 month ARED exercise protocol for a commercial crew mission. The project culminates in a real-time monitoring system concept and a mission briefing presentation. It directly mirrors NASA Human Research Program Risk #2: Risk of Bone Fracture Due to Spaceflight-Induced Changes to Bone, and aligns with NGSS and CCSS standards across multiple subject areas.

Problem Statement

Astronauts in microgravity lose approximately 1–2% of bone density per month and experience rapid muscle atrophy because the gravitational loading that naturally maintains skeletal and muscular health on Earth is almost entirely absent in orbit. NASA's Astronaut Strength, Conditioning, and Rehabilitation (ASCR) program designs pre-flight exercise plans and monitors astronauts via weekly self-reported exercise logs — but there is currently no way to verify, while an astronaut is still in space, whether their exercise is actually stimulating bone formation at the levels required. The ARED partially compensates for lost gravity loading but has key limitations: it cannot replicate bodyweight contribution to spinal compression, cannot produce impact loading, and its flywheel only approximates true barbell inertia. The result is a critical monitoring gap — flight surgeons know what exercises were performed but cannot confirm whether bones and muscles received adequate mechanical stimulus to stay healthy. A smarter, science-grounded exercise protocol and a concept for in-flight real-time monitoring are needed to close that gap.

Students need to review the Power-Point and Student Brief and use other links for additional resources.