NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 astronauts will test innovative exercise methods to prepare for deep-space missions where bulky gym equipment won’t fit.
The Zero T2 study removes treadmills from workouts to see if astronauts can stay strong without them. Alongside fitness experiments, crew members will participate in medical studies, investigating everything from vision issues to genetic factors affecting health in space. These experiments will provide crucial insights into keeping humans healthy on future Moon and Mars missions.
Astronauts Train for Future Space Missions
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), set to launch on March 12, will include exercise and medical research to help astronauts stay fit on long-duration missions. Select members of the four-person crew will take part in studies focused on maintaining health in space.
On the space station, astronauts have access to a designated training area equipped with a weight-lifting system, a stationary bike, and a specialized treadmill called T2. The station’s size allows for bulky exercise equipment, which helps astronauts maintain their strength and overall health both in space and after returning to Earth.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station typically exercise for two hours each day. From running to cycling to weightlifting, learn how crew members complete fitness regimens in space and commit to staying healthy – even in microgravity. Credit: NASA
Preparing for Deep Space Travel
However, as NASA plans for future missions beyond low Earth orbit, space aboard spacecraft will be more limited, making large exercise equipment like treadmills impractical. Walking and running are key components of astronauts’ current workouts, and NASA is still studying how long spaceflights without a treadmill might affect muscle strength, bone health, and motor function. To prepare for this, researchers are modifying training regimens, including testing workouts that exclude treadmill use, to find effective ways to keep astronauts strong and healthy on deep-space missions.
Testing New Workout Methods
In an ongoing study called Zero T2, expedition crews are divided into three groups with different workout regimens. One group continues exercising normally, using all the available equipment aboard the orbiting complex. A second group forgoes using the treadmill, relying solely on the other available equipment. While a third group will only exercise using a new, experimental, less bulky workout machine. NASA compares the groups’ health data collected before, during, and after flight to determine if the lack of treadmill use negatively impacts the crews’ fitness, muscle performance, and recovery after return to Earth.
“A treadmill takes up a lot of mass, space, and energy. This is not great for missions to Mars where every kilogram counts,” explained NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, who participated in the same study while serving as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission in 2024. “The Zero T2 experiment is helping us figure out if we can go without a treadmill and still be healthy.”
Impact of Zero T2 Study
Results of the Zero T2 study will help researchers determine how treadmill-free workouts may affect crew health, which will, in turn, help NASA build realistic exercise protocols for future deep space missions. Additionally, this investigation could support design improvements for exercise devices used to prevent or treat bone, muscle, and cardiovascular health on Earth.
Beyond the Zero T2 study, select NASA crew members will perform additional studies supported by the agency’s Human Research Program during their mission. Participating crew will conduct medical exams, provide biological samples, and document spaceflight-related injuries, among other tasks.
“Astronauts choose which studies to participate in based on their interests,” explained Cherie Oubre, a NASA scientist at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, who helps oversee human research studies carried out aboard the space station. “The experiments address important risks and gaps associated with human spaceflight.”
CIPHER: Understanding the Human Body in Space
One set of experiments, called CIPHER (Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research), will help researchers understand how multiple systems within the human body adjust to varying mission durations. CIPHER study members will complete vision assessments, cognitive tests, and MRI scans to help provide a clearer picture of how the entire body is affected by space.
“The CIPHER experiment tracks changes in the eyes, bones, heart, muscles, immune system, and more,” Oubre said. “The investigation provides the most comprehensive overview of how long-duration spaceflight affects the entire human body ever conducted, helping us advance human expeditions to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.”
Tracking Long-Term Space Adaptations
Some crew members also will contribute to a core set of measurements called Spaceflight Standard Measures. The measurements represent how the human body and mind adapt to space travel over time and serve as a basis for other spaceflight studies like CIPHER. Additionally, crew members may provide biological samples for Omics Archive, a separate study analyzing how the body reacts to long-duration spaceflight at the molecular level.
Solving Vision Problems in Space
In another study, select crew members will test a potential treatment for spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, a condition associated with brain changes and swelling of the back of the eye. Researchers are unsure what causes the syndrome or why only certain astronauts develop it, but the shift of bodily fluids toward the head in weightlessness may play a role. Some scientists believe genetics related to how the body processes B vitamins may affect how astronauts respond to those fluid shifts. Participating crew will test whether a daily B vitamin supplement can ease or prevent the development of symptoms. They also will investigate if cuffs worn on astronauts’ thighs to keep fluids in the legs could be an effective intervention.
Upon return, the select crew members will complete surveys that record any discomfort or injuries associated with landing, such as scrapes and bruises. Results of the surveys ̶ when combined with data retrieved by sensors in the vehicle ̶ will help researchers catalog these injuries and improve the design of spacecraft.
Long-Term Research for Future Missions
Crew members began participating in the studies about a year before their mission, learning about the work and offering baseline health data. They will continue to provide data for the experiments for up to two years after returning home.
NASA’s Human Research Program explores the best ways to keep astronauts safe, healthy, and mission-ready during space travel. By conducting studies in labs, ground-based simulations, commercial missions, and on the International Space Station, the program examines how spaceflight impacts the human body and mind. This research is key to developing new technologies and strategies that will support future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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