I Am Artemis: Ryan Schulte

Listen to this audio clip from Ryan Schulte, Orion Flywheel Project Manager:

As the four Artemis II astronauts completed a 694,481-mile round trip around the Moon, the Orion spacecraft provided them with all the essentials for life in deep space, including daily exercise. The crew used an exercise device called a flywheel throughout their mission to maintain their physical and mental health, and Ryan Schulte, Orion’s flywheel project manager, led the team responsible for developing the flywheel for the historic flight.

At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Schulte oversees the team that designed, built, tested and flew the flywheel used on Artemis II, and is currently developing a fleet of more reusable exercise devices for future Artemis missions.

Ryan Schulte

Orion Flying Project Manager

The flywheel is a compact, multifunctional device the size of a large shoebox that provides the crew with a range of aerobic and resistive exercises without requiring any electrical power from the spacecraft.

“It works a bit like an inertial yo-yo,” Schulte said.

The user can select different gear ratios for different resistance modes, and the flywheel can ultimately provide up to 500 pounds of resistance.

“It really depends on how much effort you’re putting in. The crew can do squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, high pull-ups, curls, heel raises and aerobic rowing in one device.”

Developing the flywheel for Orion posed unique challenges for Schulte’s team, ranging from limited space and crew mobility to reducing noise generation to facilitate crew communication during training.

“One of the biggest challenges was fitting everything into this compact box, and also being able to have enough space inside the rest of the pod for someone to fully stand up and fully extend at high speeds and reps,” Schulte said.

The team’s successful response to these challenges was demonstrated during the approximately 10-day Artemis II mission, during which crew members practiced for approximately 30 minutes per day with the flywheel. The sessions helped counteract the physical and mental effects induced by a microgravity environment, which, during future longer-duration Artemis missions, will become an increasingly important element for astronauts.

“Without Earth’s gravity, the crew’s muscles, bones and endurance begin to atrophy or weaken,” Schulte said. “The exercise will help prevent injuries, as crews must conduct long lunar spacewalks on the surface or to emergency exit from the capsule.”

Exercise with the flywheel also supports the mental health of the crew, providing psychological benefits while living in a compact space inside Orion.

“It’s a great form of stress relief,” Schulte said. “It improves their mental clarity by circulating their fluids and blood, which can stagnate in your head in zero gravity. We spoke to some crew members about how their minds felt clearer after a flight exercise.”

Schulte began his career as a co-op at Johnson in 2007, then joined NASA full-time as a test engineer for pyrotechnics, propulsion and electrical systems. He then joined NASA’s Human Health and Performance Directorate and began working in the Human Research Program, where his interest in human interfaces with engineering developed, eventually leading him to his current role as flywheel project manager.

With the success of Artemis II and the promise of future missions, Schulte’s work on the next-generation flywheel and exercise machines will play a critical role in ensuring the safety, health and mission readiness of astronauts on the lunar surface and beyond.

Ryan Schulte

Orion Flying Project Manager