Can you Run on a Treadmill in Space?

The Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill will allow space travelers to run in space. This is a huge deal for those of use who wish to travel to space and take fitness seriously. Space travel is the thing of the future with commercial space companies all ready signing people up. Now there are other pieces of exercise equipment in space, but the COLBERT is the only piece of exercise equipment named after a celebrity.

The Colbert Report is a popular American TV show that allows host Stephen Colbert to talk about current events. You may wonder how a space treadmill was named after a TV talk show host. The answer is simple. In early 2012 NASA set up a contest to name one of the last things NASA would take to the international space station on the space shuttle discovery.

NASA put the naming rights of the previously named Node 3 up to the public to vote. Four choices made the final vote;   Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity or Venture -NASA also allowed for write in votes and that is where Stephen Colbert and his audience got the idea to write in: COLBERT

The comedian seems to love to lend his name to any and everything that will take it. Lending his name to a bald eagle, a leatherback turtle and a species of diving beetle. He once got viewers to make 17 million online votes in a naming contest for a bridge in Budapest. However the rules of that contest prohibited the name to be of a living person or he would have that notch on his belt as well.

NASA was overwhelmed by faithful COLBERT fans writing in more than 230,000 votes.  Colbert, however didn’t win the contest. That honor went to “Serenity” by 40,000 votes. Colbert was given second place but was given the name anyway when Astronaut Sunita Williams appreaed on the Colbert show and made the announcement.

The treadmill is actually not even the first treadmill aboard the Internation Space Station. A different type of treadmill with lots of benefits to astronauts known as the TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization) was built by the Russians and is in the Zvezda Service Module.

Colbert has repeatedly joked that the new treadmill will  “finally slim down all those overweight astronauts.””

While we run on treadmills on earth to stay in shape and lose weight astronauts run on treadmills to preserve muscles not used in space. Astronauts would lose bone mass and muscle tone rapidly if they didn’t workout in space. The lack of gravity tells the body that its okay to let the muscles and bones weaken causing considerable health problems in space and when returning to earth.

The overwhelming answer to the Question: Can you run on a treadmill in space? Is now YES!

If our astronauts weren’t running and working out they would not beable to stay in space for as long as they do. Thanks for checking out my blog. Check out a related blog: Want to join in on the conversation Tweet me on Twitter @FunFitnessFrank Have a great night everyone!