'Artificial gravity' device could be key to astronaut health on Mars mission

Researchers have created a vacuum cleaner-like exercise device to prevent problems associated with weightlessness on long-distance space missions

In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick's spacecraft spins through the solar system like a giant, futuristic ferris wheel. The rotating craft has a suitably epic quality and, through the centrifugal force, conveniently explains why there appears to be gravity inside the spaceship.

In real life future astronauts may have to settle for a slightly less cinematic form of artificial gravity, however. Space scientists working on the problem have developed a large vacuum cleaner-like device that seals around the astronaut's waist, creating the impression of weight on the lower body through a powerful suction force.