![TVIS treadmill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/TVIS_treadmill.jpg)
The Treadmill with Vibration Isolation Stabilization System, commonly abbreviated as TVIS, is a
treadmill
A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type o ...
for use on board the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
and is designed to allow astronauts to run without vibrating delicate microgravity science experiments in adjacent labs. International Space Station treadmills, not necessarily described here, have included the original treadmill, the original TVIS, the БД-2, the Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), and the Treadmill 2 (abbreviated as T2). Some share a name, some a design, some a function, some use different (passive) vibration-suppression systems, some it is unclear how they differ.
The name for the treadmill (COLBERT) came about due to a naming contest that NASA held for what became the
Tranquility module. Comedian and TV personality
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
used his show ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'' to encourage his viewers to write in votes to use "Colbert" during the contest. After the results of the contest were announced, NASA decided to use Colbert's name for the new treadmill in place of naming the
Tranquility module after him.
Exercise
Following the advent of
space stations that can be inhabited for long periods of time, exposure to weightlessness has been demonstrated to have some deleterious effects on human health. Humans are well-adapted to the physical conditions at the surface of the Earth. In response to an extended period of weightlessness, various physiological systems begin to change and atrophy. Though these changes are usually temporary, long term health issues can result.
The most common problem experienced by humans in the initial hours of weightlessness is known as
space adaptation syndrome or SAS, commonly referred to as space sickness. Symptoms of SAS include
nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...
and
vomiting
Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose.
Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteri ...
,
vertigo
Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...
,
headaches,
lethargy
Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overwo ...
, and overall malaise. The first case of SAS was reported by
cosmonaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
Gherman Titov
Gherman Stepanovich Titov (russian: Герман Степанович Титов; 11 September 1935 – 20 September 2000) was a Soviet cosmonaut who, on 6 August 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth, aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Y ...
in 1961. Since then, roughly some 45% to 75% of all people who have flown in space have suffered from this condition. The duration of space sickness varies, but in no case has it lasted for more than 72 hours, after which the body adjusts to the new environment.
The most significant adverse effects of long-term weightlessness are
muscle atrophy and deterioration of the
skeleton, or
spaceflight osteopenia
Spaceflight osteopenia refers to the characteristic bone loss that occurs during spaceflight. Astronauts lose an average of more than 1% bone mass per month spent in space. There is concern that during long-duration flights, excessive bone loss ...
. These effects can be minimized through a regimen of exercise. Other significant effects include fluid redistribution, a slowing of the
cardiovascular system, decreased production of
red blood cell
Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...
s, balance disorders, and a weakening of the
immune system
The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splint ...
. Lesser symptoms include loss of body mass, nasal congestion, sleep disturbance, excess
flatulence, and puffiness of the face. These effects begin to reverse quickly upon return to the Earth.
To prevent some of the effects associated with weightlessness, a treadmill with vibration isolation and stabilization designed for the International Space Station (ISS) was first evaluated during
STS-81
STS-81 was a January 1997 Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' mission to the Mir space station.
Crew
Mission highlights
STS-81 was the fifth of nine planned missions to Mir and the second one involving an exchange of U.S. astronauts. Astronaut John B ...
. Three crew members ran and walked on the device, which floats freely in the
micro-gravity experienced during orbit. For the majority of the more than 2 hours of locomotion studied, the treadmill operated well, and vibration transmitted to the vehicle was within the micro-gravity allocation limits that are defined for the
ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (J ...
. Refinements to the treadmill and harness system, which ultimately led to development of the COLBERT model, were studied after this first flight. One goal of the treadmill design is to offer the possibility of generating
1 g-like loads on the lower extremities while preserving the micro-gravity environment of the ISS for structural safety and vibration free experimental conditions.
The treadmills are intended to help astronauts stay fit, fighting off the bone loss (
spaceflight osteopenia
Spaceflight osteopenia refers to the characteristic bone loss that occurs during spaceflight. Astronauts lose an average of more than 1% bone mass per month spent in space. There is concern that during long-duration flights, excessive bone loss ...
) and muscle decay that otherwise comes with space travel. Astronauts use bungee cords to strap themselves to the treadmill in order to remain in contact with the equipment while in
micro-gravity.
Researchers believe that exercise is a good countermeasure for the bone and muscle density loss that occurs when humans live for a long time without gravity.
Maintenance
The original Treadmill with Vibration Isolation Stabilization (TVIS) that was recessed into the floor of the
Zvezda Service Module
''Zvezda'' (russian: Звезда, meaning "star"), ''Salyut'' DOS-8, also known as the ''Zvezda'' Service Module, is a module of the International Space Station (ISS). It was the third module launched to the station, and provided all of t ...
was decommissioned in June 2013, disposed of on th
Russian Progress (50P)in July 2013 and replaced by the Russian БД-2.
Expedition 20
Expedition 20 was the 20th long-duration flight to the International Space Station. The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station. Because each Soyuz-TMA spacecraft could hold only three people, two separate laun ...
flight engineers
Michael Barratt and
Koichi Wakata
is a Japanese engineer and a JAXA astronaut. Wakata is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle missions, a Russian Soyuz mission, and a long-duration stay on the International Space Station. During a nearly two-decade career in spaceflight, he has ...
have performed a complete overhaul of that treadmill to extend its life. Both treadmills will continue to be used, which will nearly double the availability of these critical work-out devices for space station crews.
Treadmill with Vibration Isolation Stabilization system (TVIS) also required repair in 2002, during
Expedition 5
Expedition 5 was the fifth long-duration stay on the International Space Station (ISS). The crew, consisting of three people, remained in space for 184 days, 178 of which were spent aboard the ISS. Expedition 5 was a continuation of an uninterru ...
while
STS-112
STS-112 ( ISS assembly flight 9A) was an 11-day Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by . Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' was launched on 7 October 2002 at 19:45 UTC from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39B to del ...
was docked.
Valery Korzun
Valery Grigoryevich Korzun (russian: Валерий Григорьевич Корзун, born 5 March 1953) is a Russian cosmonaut. He has been in space twice totalling 381 days. He has also conducted four career spacewalks.
Personal
He is a R ...
spent an entire day performing maintenance on the unit.
A serious design flaw with COLBER
power systemwas discovered in September 2010, within 10 months of bein
A multiple day IFM was required in October in order to remove COLBERT from its rack and replace key power components.
Naming COLBERT
![COLBERT patch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/COLBERT_patch.jpg)
In early 2009,
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
held an online poll to name what became the
Tranquility module. On the 3 March 2009 episode of ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'', host
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
instructed his viewers to suggest "Colbert" as the name for Node 3 in the online poll. On 23 March 2009, it was announced that "Colbert" had garnered the most votes, but NASA did not immediately commit to using the name.
Congressman
Chaka Fattah
Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House for from 1995 to 2016. The district included portions of North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and West P ...
had pledged to use congressional power to ensure that democratic voting is honored in outer space as well as on planet Earth, in response to the possibility that NASA would overrule the voting. On the 14 April 2009 episode of ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'', astronaut
Sunita Williams
Sunita Lyn Williams (born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut and United States Navy officer who formerly held the records for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). Williams was ...
appeared on the show to announce that NASA decided to name the node 3 "Tranquility", the eighth most popular response in the census, and announced that they would name a new
treadmill
A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type o ...
on the station after the comedian – Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT). Colbert was invited to Houston to test the treadmill, and later to Florida for its launch. The treadmill was taken to the ISS in August 2009, aboard
STS-128
STS-128 (ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. ''Leonardo'' contain ...
and was installed in the Tranquility module after the node arrived at the station in February 2010.
NASA poked fun at itself in a humorous press release included in the
STS-128
STS-128 (ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. ''Leonardo'' contain ...
flight day 6 execute package report which claimed that
Jon Stewart demanded to be honored similarly but turned down the agency's offer to name the ISS Urine Processor "Space Toilet Environmental Waste Accumulator/Recycling Thingy" (STEWART).
Development
![C](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/C.O.L.B.E.R.T._decal_placement.jpg)
NASA Engineers started development with a Woodway medical treadmill design which is available to anyone on Earth, and they asked Woodway to nickel plate the parts and make some other modifications, but it is fundamentally the same running-in-place device as the commercially available model. The structures which support the treadmill have been adapted for use in space. Without gravity to hold the runner to the surface of the treadmill, designers added elastic straps that fit around the shoulders and waist in order to keep the runner from rocketing across the space station with the first hard step. Designers also had to work out a way to keep the treadmill from shaking the whole station with every step. Preventing vibrations is relatively easy to do on Earth, but the station is floating just like the astronauts are, and it wants to react against any movement that is made inside of it. Even small actions can shake up delicate microgravity experiments taking place inside the station's laboratories. Developing a system to stop the vibrations was the biggest challenge, Wiederhoeft said.
The first station treadmill, which was brought to the Space Station aboard
STS-98
STS-98 was a 2001 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle '' Atlantis''. It was the first human spaceflight launch of the 21st century. STS-98 delivered to the station the ''Destiny'' Laboratory Mod ...
, relied on a powered system of gyroscopes and mechanisms to reduce vibrations. COLBERT's Vibration Isolation System was designed to work without power, and also to be more reliable than its predecessor. COLBERT will rest on springs that are hooked to dampers, which are then connected to a standard-sized rack that has been extensively reinforced in order to handle the power produced by COLBERT users. The rack alone weighs 2,200 pounds, which is its contractual design limit, and is also louder than the first treadmill which is a trade-off Wiederhoeft said is necessary to increase its reliability. "Noise and reliability are fighting against each other here," Wiederhoeft said. "With a lot more time we could have had both quiet and reliable. We went for reliable, and did what we could with noise."
Development of the treadmills was also utilized in order to further development of commercial products. Possible secondary effects of development include improved vibration and acoustic isolation applications in sensitive equipment such as equipment used in
optical
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...
,
microelectronic
Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture (or microfabrication) of very small electronic designs and components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-sc ...
and
precision manufacturing.
COLBERT delivery
![Packing COLBERT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Packing_COLBERT.jpg)
A team of engineers was required in order to prepare COLBERT to survive the rigorous vibrations of the launch process. COLBERT had to be disassembled into scores of parts, separated into more than six bags and strapped to racks inside the
''Leonardo'' cargo module, which flew to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
aboard
STS-128
STS-128 (ISS assembly flight 17A) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on August 28, 2009. carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module ''Leonardo'' as its primary payload. ''Leonardo'' contain ...
.
COLBERT was delivered to the Space Station in 2010, and resided first inside the
Harmony module, before later being moved to the
Tranquility module.
The packing team set out to make sure everything that is launched reaches the station in good working order. "If it's the COLBERT, or if it's something else, it's still not going to be useful in orbit if it's broken," said
Pete Gauthier, packing engineer for
United Space Alliance
:''In this article, USA refers to the United Space Alliance, not the United States.''
United Space Alliance (USA) was a spaceflight operations company. USA was a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company ...
. "The difference with something like this is that it's big and it's heavy, so we have to use our biggest bag," he said. "It's easier for the crew if you have all the pieces in one bag, but when you have six bags, you just can't do that." The astronauts on the station are expected to spend about 20 hours putting the whole thing together, including the vibration system. After assembly, the only care COLBERT should need is an occasional greasing of its bearings.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treadmill With Vibration Isolation Stabilization System
Science facilities on the International Space Station
Exercise equipment