Feltz, D.L., Ploutz-Snyder, L., Winn, B. et al.

Simulated Partners and Collaborative Exercise

(SPACE) to boost motivation for astronauts: study protocol. BMC Psychol 4, 54
(2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-016-0165-9

The conditions of long-term space travel threaten astronauts’ aerobic and

musculoskeletal health due to loss of motivation. Research is needed to mitigate this threat.
Simulated Partners and Collaborative Exercise (SPACE) documents motivation in groups to
improve the exercise experience for participants over 6 months to be applied to astronauts. It
does this by determining the effectiveness of elements which increase enjoyment, motivation,
and healthy social interaction. The project will explore the usage of software which simulates
a workout partner and exercise “game” and its potential to promote exercise. The participants
of the 24-week study were considered to be chronic exercisers. The different experimental
groups included no partner (control), a superior partner, and partner who was not always
superior. The work effort of the participants was measured through the energy produced by
the use of the ergometer machine, as well as through the participant's change in physical
health and their psychological state. The authors believe that this research and the SPACE
exercise game can be used to motivate astronauts on missions and to promote exercise in the
general population as well.
The authors, Deborah L. Feltz, Lori Ploutz-Snyder, Brian Winn, Norbert L. Kerr,
James M. Pivarnik, Alison Ede, Christopher Hill, Stephen Samendinger, and William Jeffery,
are qualified to discuss the exercise regimen of astronauts and the associated psychology
because their credentials include kinesiology, space research, and psychology. The primary
author, Deborah Feltz, can be easily contacted through the website. Written 4 years ago, this
source is current on the topic of astronaut exercise routines, motivation research, and software
technologies. The authors present claims, reasoning, and evidence and cover multiple sides of
the topic. For example, they discuss all aspects of the study including the videogame function,
exercise goals, social aspects of having a partner, and the function of the exercise machine.
Additionally, the authors compare the aerobic exercise results of NASA’s SPRINT regimen
with the results of the study. The coverage can be considered broad and deep because of the
data shared and explained from the study. The information contained in the source can be
verified elsewhere. For example, the author focuses on the importance of motivation to long-
term exercise regimens, which can be corroborated by Carly McKay and Martyn Standage in
their publication “Astronaut Adherence to Exercise-Based Reconditioning: Psychological
Considerations and Future Directions”. The purpose of this article is to propose an effective
method of motivating exercise, particularly for astronauts. The audience may include exercise
trainers, astronauts, and kinesiologists. The article is appropriate for this purpose and audience
because the authors have experience in related fields and present viable evidence and
reasoning to create an understanding of the study.