The Enjoyability of Physical Exercise: Exergames and Virtual Reality as New Ways to Boost Psychological and Psychosocial Health in Astronauts. A Prospective and Perspective View

On Earth, physical activity plays a tremendous role to preserve and improve the physical, psychological, and social well-being of people. The enjoyability, the appreciation, and the variability of the exercises are fundamental factors for the production of lifestyle benefits. Currently, exercise countermeasures for astronauts during long-duration missions focus more on the physiological side, frequently overlooking the relevant psychosocial one. Exergames are a form of physical activity that have taken hold in the last decades on Earth and has been widely accepted as a more enjoyable and engaging rehabilitation, reconditioning, and training tool compared to the previous conventional ones. After a review of the current needs of astronauts and of the positive effects of exergames on people on Earth, we suggest that exergaming should be implemented in space missions to improve physical, psychological, and social well-being of astronauts. We also propose practical methods on how exergames can be effectively implemented

A Video-Based Tactical Task Does Not Elicit Mental Fatigue and Does Not Impair Soccer Performance in a Subsequent Small-Sided Game

Mental fatigue can impair physical, technical, and tactical performance in sports. Since most previous research used general cognitive tasks to elicit mental fatigue, the aim of this study was to investigate whether a more sport-specific task could induce the effects of mental fatigue and impair the subsequent physical and technical performance in a soccer small-sided game. Ten soccer players performed two small-sided games on two different days in a crossover design. Before each small-sided game, they performed a video-based tactical task (30 min) and a control task (documentary watching, 30 min) in a randomized and counterbalanced order. Mental effort was measured through a visual analog scale after the tactical and control tasks. Subjective ratings of perceived exertion were assessed through the RPE questionnaire after the end of the SSG. Physical performance was assessed during the SSG through GPS technology. Results showed no differences (p > 0.05) in physical performance between the two conditions. None of the technical variables were negatively affected by the video-based tactical condition, with the number of total passes (p = 0.003; ES = 0.72 medium) and successful passes (p = 0.003; ES = 0.82 large) results even improved by the video-based tactical task. The mental effort required by the video-tactical task was significantly higher than the control task (p = 0.002; ES = 2.09 huge). However, overall RPE did not differ between conditions. The video-based tactical task did not elicit mental fatigue and did not impair subsequent physical and technical performance. The higher ecological validity of the task and the higher motivation of the participants might have contributed to the results

Solutions for construction of a lunar base: A proposal to use the spacex starship as a permanent habitat

International audienceReturning to the Moon and establishing a permanent human presence is the next step in human space exploration. This necessitates the development of lunar infrastructure up to this task. This contribution presents a framework for rapid, cost-efficient, and supporting construction of a permanent and modular lunar base within the scope of what will be technically and legally feasible today. The proposed concept uses the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System as the foundation for a lunar base. The Starship will be placed horizontally on the lunar surface and transformed into a habitable volume. A workforce of modular rovers will aid astronauts in the construction process, and an array of countermeasures are presented to protect the astronauts from the effects of exposure to radiation, lunar dust, and extended hypogravity. Psychological and psychosocial factors are included to enhance individual well-being and crew dynamics. Physical and cognitive workloads are defined and evaluated to identify effective countermeasures, including specific spacesuit requirements. The proposed construction activities are to be organized as a multi-national public-private partnership to establish an international authority, a concept that has been successful on Earth but has yet to be applied to space activities on a multi-national level. A roadmap incorporating each part of the construction from human and technical perspectives is outlined. Other aspects that are critical to mission success include the cultural significance of the project, legal aspects, budget, financing, and potential future uses of the base. These solutions rely mainly on existing technologies and limited modifications to the lunar lander vehicle, making it a viable solution for the construction of a lunar base in the near future