International Space Station Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED)

A person who is inactive for an extended period of time (such as when they have a long illness) loses strength as well as muscle and bone mass. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) face similar risks because bones and muscles begin to atrophy in the absence of gravity. Resistive exercise, where the musculoskeletal system bears weight, has been shown to mitigate these effects. But just lifting weights, as we do on Earth, does not work without gravity.