CREW RESTRAINT
Research Area: Life Support Systems and Habitation
Expedition(s): 7 and 8
Principal Investigator(s): ● Pedro Duque, European Space Agency, Oberpfaffenhofen,
Germany
● P. Mitschdoerfer, European Space Research and Technology
Centre, Noordwijk, Netherlands
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Crew Restraint experiment is to test new equipment that uses astronaut’s
knees to hold them in position during operational activities. Almost all current restraint devices
use the feet to restrain the body, and it is generally perceived that this unnaturally overloads
the smaller muscle groups of the feet. Restraining the crew member at the knee level lowers
the forces needed since the knees are closer to the center of gravity of the astronaut, and
larger muscle groups are relied upon to a greater extent.
RESULTS
Attaching the Crew Restraint was one
area where improvements to the
design could be made. It was designed
to attach to seat tracks on the front of
station racks. However, due to the
width of the restraint at the base, this
meant that it didn’t fit easily on most
racks, especially where covers on racks
interfered with the process. The
process of reconfiguring equipment to
make the restraint’s installation
possible also meant that there was a
risk of disturbing other crew members.However, Pedro expanded the possibilities for the device by incorporating handrail to seat track
adapters that were available in orbit. Using these adapters showed that the crew restraint
could be used in many more locations, which made it possible to use equipment available at
the site rather than first relocating it (obviously possible with mobile equipment). From a crew
perspective, this would not be necessary for using laptop computers as they are able to use
them easily without the use of a restraint.
The device itself was comfortable, though quite a lot of effort was needed to perform a pitch
(forward) move. It was however quite easy to move from side to side and reach different areas
without having to change restraint configuration (being able to reach to racks either side of the
rack you are working in front of). For example, Pedro found it easy to undertake procedures
using the crew restraint for working on the Microgravity Science Glovebox in orbit. The overall
Left: Crew Restraint attached to the front of an International
Space Station rack. Right: ESA astronaut Pedro Duque works
on the Microgravity Science Glovebox while testing the new
Crew Restraint device. ESA image.