A new study suggests that future lunar settlers could stay healthy by running around a circular wall to exercise - just a few laps a day could counteract some of the negative effects of the moon's low gravity. The research findings were published on May 1st in the journal "Royal Society Open Science."
The moon's gravity is about 1/6th that of Earth's. This means that lunar astronauts experience much less weight on their bodies, which can lead to muscle atrophy and decreased bone density with prolonged stays. The microgravity environment also affects blood flow in the body, damaging the cardiovascular system.
Inspired by the "Wall of Death" stunt performed by motorcycle riders, Alberto Minetti and colleagues from the University of Milan in Italy came up with a novel way for lunar settlers to combat these adverse effects.
Due to the combined effects of friction and centripetal force, motorcycles traveling at high speeds can ride along a circular wall without slipping. Minetti mentioned that on Earth, people can't run fast enough to avoid slipping like motorcycles do. "But we wanted to see if doing this on the moon is feasible."
A research participant runs around a circular wall using a bungee cord to simulate the reduced weight on the moon. Image source: Alberto E. Minetti
Researchers rented a "Wall of Death" amusement park ride with a diameter of about 9.7 meters and a height of about 5 meters. They each attached a research volunteer to a pole higher than the wall using a bungee cord to support their weight, reducing it by 83%, equivalent to their weight on the moon.
Both volunteers were able to run several laps around the wall at a speed of 6 meters per second.
The force they felt when touching the wall was similar to the gravity on Earth. Minetti said, "By running horizontally on a vertical wall, we create an artificial gravity."
He mentioned that on the moon, this force is sufficient to address major issues caused by low gravity, such as decreased bone density and cardiovascular health problems. "Running twice a day for a few minutes each time should be enough."
He also noted that this exercise could help astronauts prepare for returning to Earth.
"From the perspective of experimental design and scientific analysis, this research appears to be reliable, important, and relevant," said Ilan Kelman from University College London.
For more information on the related paper: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231906
