Microgravity Mobility: Redesigning Footwear and Intravehicular Activity Infrastructure for Space Stations

Salt Lake Community College Westpointe Campus, Salt Lake City, UT

Currently, on the International Space Station, the most commonly used foot restraints are handrails. This presents ergonomic challenges as astronauts try to maintain their position in a microgravity environment, which is exacerbated for astronauts with a predisposition to repetitive strain injuries.

Relevant contexts could include an astronaut with a preexisting medical condition such as early-onset osteoporosis (1 in 5 women over 50) or any astronaut traveling in deep space or spending extended time in microgravity, as this causes a significant decrease in bone density over time. Astronauts Scott Kelly and Don Petit specifically articulated the problematic nature of the current solutions, which cause discomfort.

Using these handrails as foot restraints is convenient and fairly effective as a positioning aid, but when astronauts have to manipulate free-floating tools/equipment or reposition their torso, using handrails with their feet to stabilize significantly impacts efficiency and comfort and increases the risk of injury.

To address this, astronauts need a better interface between themselves and the environment to facilitate positioning while putting less strain on the body. Handrails should remain a staple for restraint/mobility aids in microgravity habitat design, but more specialized rails should be incorporated to better facilitate work tasks.