The space race to create gym equipment for future astronauts

Nasa says the work that went into developing it and the work on the next generation of exercise devices will play a vital role in astronaut health.

Much like the toilet which kept playing up during the Artemis II mission, this research reminds us even astronauts operating in other worldly conditions are still human.

Our skeletons and muscles are incredible structures that deal with gravity - even when we simply move our bodies on Earth we are dealing with forces.

"In space we don't experience any forces, our muscles, our bones immediately start to diminish because we're not being loaded by those forces," says Dr Dan Cleather, professor of strength and conditioning at St Mary's University who is on the team developing the British equipment, HIFIm.

He designed the technology that allows it to monitor how effectively the user is exercising.

If astronauts do not do exercise, they also lose coordination and cardiovascular fitness, they become less able to carry out the functional tasks that they're required to do.

But there are challenges with exercising in space too, from the weight of current exercise equipment to the limited range of exercises you can do and the time it currently takes astronauts to keep fit.

"On the International Space Station, for example, astronauts spend about two hours of every day doing exercise… that all adds up, it takes time," Christian explains.

For her, if you can reduce the amount of time you're exercising, it frees up more time for astronauts to do science and experiments "which could cause a whole range of breakthroughs."

The team behind HIFIm believe their device can reduce this exercise time down to 1/2 hour a day.

It's billed as the next generation of astronaut exercise equipment for long space missions by its inventor, John Kennett, who says his small piece of equipment can handle 300 exercises.

Kennett says the device works without electrical power and is engineered so vibrations are isolated so as not to interfere with fragile experiments or the structural integrity of a vessel in space.

Kennett, a former aircraft engineer and owner of a pilates studio, came up with the idea when he was working with a client recovering from cancer who had very low bone density.

He then made the connection with space, believing the International Space Station was "missing a trick".

The device was made at Pinewood studios by special effects engineers who won an Oscar for 1917 and who work on Star Wars, James Bond and Mission Impossible.

But to really put it through its paces, it requires testing in space-like conditions on parabolic flights.

The latest test involved the device's rowing attachment, which couldn't be properly tested on Earth. That's how Wells got involved.

"Every year since the Olympics I've always done some sort of physical challenge. I've been in boxing rings, I've done an Ironman, I've done swimming 6k, you know things like this and playing rugby for a season," he says. "This is another step again. Off the chart. The most outrageous so far."

You can watch Harriet's report for Tech Now on the iPlayer from Saturday or via the programme's website.