Wearable tech and fitness routines guide health strategies for astronauts
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 02, 2025
Expedition 72 astronauts kicked off the week by strapping on wearable sensors and engaging in workout regimens designed to help researchers understand how the human body adjusts to spaceflight. These investigations not only monitor health but also shape future countermeasures for long-duration missions in microgravity.

NASA Flight Engineer Nichole Ayers wore a biometric vest and headband outfitted with sensors for a continuous 48-hour cardiovascular health study. The real-time data, captured on a tablet, is part of the Space Health experiment aimed at enhancing remote medical support for space crews far from Earth.

Meanwhile, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi took part in a biomechanics study known as ARED Kinematics. Wearing reflective markers on his legs, Onishi exercised on the advanced resistive exercise device (ARED), which simulates free weights. The study helps physicians analyze how space-based workouts influence musculoskeletal health.

Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner wrapped up a weeklong circulatory system experiment. By placing sensors on their foreheads, fingers, and toes, they documented how blood redistributes from the upper body to the extremities in a microgravity environment.

Elsewhere on the orbital platform, NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Anne McClain removed materials from the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The hardware was previously used to investigate particle transport across thermal boundaries and refine methods for separating viruses from fluids, with applications in disease diagnostics.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Kirin Peskov focused on station upkeep. He repaired a thermal sensor in the Zvezda module, tested electrical outputs of a compressor system, cleaned air vents, and facilitated water transfers between onboard tanks.

Related Links
Expedition 72 at ISS
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