NASA bed-rest study campaign 1 completed – successful measurements and motivated teams
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NASA bed-rest study campaign 1 completed – successful measurements and motivated teams
Slalom after 60 days of bed rest
The participants tackle this course several times in succession on the day they get up. Both the time and objects touched are recorded and compared with pre-bed rest data.
This test provides some of the most important results of the study. It measures the test subjects' ability to stand up from a seated position and move through the course while avoiding obstacles.
In this blog on the DLR-NASA bed-rest study "Sensorimotor Countermeasures Study (SMC)", we report on the lives of participants and the work of the large team around them, as well as what it means to be part of such a major study.
The first campaign of the SMC study is now over, and all the participants have successfully completed their 60-day period of bed rest. It's a whole new perspective, seeing them upright in the participants' ward, corridors, and in the treatment and experiment rooms. Everyone is doing very well and remains motivated to complete the data collection for this first campaign.
The two weeks after standing up – as well as the two weeks before the start of the experiment – are crucial for the scientific knowledge we can gain from the study. During the 60-day bed-rest period, three quarters of the test subjects carried out special countermeasures. Various exercise programmes are designed to reduce or even completely eliminate the sensorimotor impairments caused by bed rest in a six-degree head-down position (which simulates similar effects of microgravity in space).
Exercise programme to counter the effects of microgravity
The aim of the study is to develop an exercise programme for astronauts that best maintains their ability to stand, balance and walk after long-duration flights. This is because in space, the loss of muscle function can jeopardise the performance of activities during future trips, and stays on the Moon or Mars and can lead to accidents. Therefore, better methods for maintaining muscle function with countermeasures are needed, especially for longer and more distant spaceflights with limited training possibilities in the space capsule.
Object transport test
During their stay on the Moon, astronauts will need to transport objects such as tools, equipment and rock samples from one point to another. To simulate these tasks, the SMC-study participants pick up and transport different weights.
The SMC study therefore employs countermeasures that primarily address balance and coordination problems – a reduced perception of body position and movement, as well as a reduced sense of touch, play a major role in gait issues that develop after spaceflight. For this reason, some of the test subjects underwent proprioceptive training – for the perception of one's own body. This training aims to condition the affected senses through balance training for standing and walking upright, specifically developed for this study. The question remains whether the effectiveness of this training can be further improved if it is supplemented by strength and endurance training, similar to the current training regime aboard the International Space Station ISS.
Another of the countermeasures is electrical muscle stimulation, which trains muscles and stimulates nerves without the active involvement of the participants. Both approaches could prove useful in maintaining normal muscle function.
Day one after getting up
On the day the participants stood up and over the following days, mostly sensory, motor and functional performance were tested. These experiments are of great importance to NASA: they enable medical staff to predict the extent to which astronauts are able to perform operational tasks after a prolonged period of microgravity or reduced gravity as a result of the countermeasures. Further experiments tested muscle strength and foot sensitivity, as well as investigating the effectiveness of the various countermeasures.
Jump test
Astronauts may need to jump from landing vehicles or uneven terrain when exploring a planet. This test evaluates potential changes in their postural stability after such a jump.
Standing up after a long period of bed rest in a six-degree head-down position is a challenge for most people. Not only are muscles and circulatory activity weakened, but the ability to concentrate also suffers as a result of the 60 day bed rest. Even standing alone is difficult, and the first steps are wobbly. For this reason, the participants sit in a wheelchair for the first two days, except during experiments, to avoid overexertion or falls. But just 24 hours after getting up, they are already much more agile and walk more smoothly . After another day, most of them can no longer believe that they had just been lying in bed for 60 days straight!
The test subjects spent the 14-day recovery phase undergoing numerous experiments and an intensive exercise programme before being discharged back home.
Round two starts in April 2025
The conclusion of the study management: it ran like clockwork! There were few problems, all the experiments worked very well, and everything went according to plan. The training sessions were also very well tolerated and the participants and the entire team were highly committed to the project right to the end. Thanks to the many years of experience of the DLR bed rest team, many processes could be optimised. The scientific significance was a great motivation for the participants, and processes resembling the preparation for an actual spaceflight made them feel they were part of a mission to space.
Everyone involved is confident that this first campaign was an excellent start on which further series of experiments can build. The second campaign will take place from April to July 2025. Currently, about 100 people are being tested for their suitability at the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, and the final selection tests will take place in the spring to narrow it down to twelve suitable candidates at the end. We’re looking forward to the new round and will keep you updated!
But for now, a huge thank you to everyone involved for this successful first campaign of the SMC bed-rest study!
