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    Jumping workouts could help astronauts on the moon and Mars, study in mice suggests - Johns Hopkins study hints at likely way to counter cartilage damage in long space journeys
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    Jumping workouts could help astronauts on the moon and Mars, study in mice suggests – Johns Hopkins study hints at likely way to counter cartilage damage in long space journeys


    Jumping workouts could help astronauts on the moon and Mars, study in mice suggests – Johns Hopkins study hints at likely way to counter cartilage damage in long space journeys

    https://hub.jhu.edu/2025/02/13/astronaut-jumping-workout/

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    1. Gari_305 on

      From the article

      >The research adds to ongoing efforts by space agencies to protect astronauts against deconditioning or getting out of shape due to low gravity, a crucial aspect of their ability to perform spacewalks, handle equipment and repairs, and carry out other physically demanding tasks.

      >The study, which shows knee cartilage in mice grew healthier following jumping exercises, appears in the journal [*npj Microgravity*](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00458-z).

      >”Since the next step in human exploration of space is going to Mars and spending long periods of time in permanent bases on the moon, cartilage damage is a really major issue that space agencies need to address despite how very poorly understood it is,” said [Marco Chiaberge](https://physics-astronomy.jhu.edu/directory/marco-chiaberge/), a Johns Hopkins astrophysicist who led the research. “The positive effect we saw in these mice is huge, and the magnitude of it was unexpected. They can basically make their cartilage thicker if they jump. Maybe astronauts could use similar training before their flight as a preventive measure.”

    2. Unusual-Bench1000 on

      I saw being a woman in space in the future. It’s a corporation not a military. They drill holes into your ankles to put in wires, and the wires connect to a belt, and the belt gives off vibrations to help you go through sleep phases properly while in deep space. And my job is to go to ships in exoplanets and work on the techy boxes with a metal tool. And sometimes they put little plants on the other planets for an experiment. I don’t know how they travel so fast.

    3. sudsmcdiddy on

      Ok but I want more specificity on the experiments — most importantly, *did they teach those mice how to do jumping jacks?*

    4. Reddit-runner on

      Wait until they find out how humans run without shoes and how that completely charges the bio-kinetics in our bodies.

      No more “runner-shines”, no more damaged cartilage in the knees.

      The science on that is out since the 1970s. But somehow it doesn’t permeate the public mind.

      Did you ever jump and land on your heels? No, thought so.

    5. PhilosopherDon0001 on

      okay. legit question I’ve had about this for years:

      why not a BowFlex^(TM) with couple of extra straps to hold you down? It doesn’t use weights and covers a lot of basic workout movements.

      I know I’m dumb, but this has always seemed like some kind of resistance bands, various straps, and a room with plenty of wall hooks would go a long way.