The science of moon hopping

[Still Waters]

The videos of the first moon landing with astronauts bouncing around the lunar surface are looking like a lot of fun—but jumping around on the moon could also be good for astronaut's muscles, bones and the cardiorespiratory system.

The "Movement in Low Gravity Environments" (MoLo) program simulates lunar gravity—called hypogravity—on Earth to investigate how human bodies' adapt and a team of space medicine experts at ESA's European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany, is investigating how bouncing on the moon could help maintain and even grow healthy bones and muscles.

"We want to generate and expand knowledge on how the human body reacts and adapts to hypogravity to prepare astronauts for future planetary exploration missions," explains Nolan Herssens, post-doctoral research fellow and project leader.

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/The_science_of_Moon_hopping