Motor skills -- Adaptation of cartilage to immobilization -- Influence of Weightlessness on Aerobic Capacity, Cardiac Output and Oxygen Uptake Kinetics -- Enhancing mental health: Effects of exercise on social well-being and social ill-being -- Neurocognitive and neuro-affective effects of exercise.

This volume of the Series SpringerBriefs in Space Life Sciences summarizes the newest finding in the field of mental health and physiological exercise in Space. Currently two major challenges are impacting human health in the western societies, one being a move towards a sedentary society, the second one being longevity. Both have a considerable impact on physical as well as mental health. Space life science research helps to understand the underlying degenerative physiological and neuro-psychological processes as living in space, living in microgravity can be regarded as a time lapse of the sedentary and aging human being. Translational research of the past years has shown that exercise can be regarded as a key factor to counteract physical and mental deconditioning in space, guaranteeing a holistic approach to health and a benefit to the socio-demographic changes of our society. The book is written for scientists in biomedicine, more specific in aging research, sports physiology and neurosciences.