CNN 10 This technology could revolutionize how astronauts exercise in space
Mar 16, 2026
A compact, moving-platform gym designed for microgravity and parabolic flight testing could change how astronauts exercise in space. A medical student races to develop gene therapy for a hereditary neurodegenerative disease. A blind baseball team adapts rules and gear to push for international competition and Paralympic inclusion.
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Compact Impact Training For Spaceflight
- HiFiM simulates impact in microgravity by using two moving platforms that cancel each other's forces to let astronauts jump repeatedly in zero gravity.
- Physical Mind London tested the device on parabolic flights and claims it enables over 300 exercises to preserve bone, muscle, and cardiovascular health.
Microgravity Rapidly Erodes Musculoskeletal Health
- Astronauts can lose up to 20% muscle mass in two weeks and 1–2% bone density per month without effective countermeasures.
- Current ISS equipment is bulky, motivating smaller, efficient devices like HiFiM for future moon and deep-space missions.
A Medical Student Racing To Cure Her Inherited ALS
- Gentile Soto-Albrecht is a 32-year-old MD/PhD student who learned she carries the same genetic form of ALS that killed her father in 2024.
- She works in Dr. Defna Amato's lab at Penn developing gene therapy research aimed at ALS and FTD.