The Skinsuit: A Wearable Countermeasure Suit and Load Monitoring Systems for Spaceflight
Rachel Bellisle, HSL

The Gravity Loading Countermeasure Skinsuit (GLCS or “Skinsuit”) is a countermeasure garment for astronauts that provides axial loading on the body to simulate some effects of Earth’s gravity (1G) and aims to mitigate physiological deterioration due to the unloading ‘weightlessness’ condition experienced in the microgravity environment. The GLCS has been developed over several iterations in the past decade and has been tested in participant studies on Earth, partial gravity simulations, parabolic flights, and International Space Station (ISS) missions. Further GLCS studies observing neuromuscular activity and sensorimotor changes are required to explore potential GLCS applications in mitigating muscle atrophy and sensorimotor changes due to reduced gravity environments. Additionally, several key improvements are necessary for future Skinsuit prototypes, primarily: greater axial loading magnitude and consistency. Current work aims to  1) develop the next-generation Skinsuit with improvements to loading consistency, 2) investigate its effects on the human sensorimotor system, and 3) develop a ”smart” Skinsuit system for load monitoring. By improving GLCS usability and exploring its impact on human health and performance, the GLCS aims to support human spaceflight in current mission scenarios on the ISS and aid in preparation for future missions to the Moon and Mars where non-exercise countermeasures will be highly valuable to reduced mass requirements on long-duration spacecraft.