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NASA astronauts must prepare their bodies for the physical stresses of living and working in microgravity before they launch on a spaceflight. Fortunately, they get customized training programs and plenty of help from astronaut fitness trainer Corey Twine, who shares decades of strength and conditioning expertise with astronauts every day at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.<\/p>\n
Twine\u2019s official title is \u201castronaut strength, conditioning, and rehabilitation specialist.\u201d He works with a team dedicated to ensuring NASA\u2019s space explorers are in top shape before launch day and know how to stay physically healthy throughout their mission, whether they\u2019re flying to the International Space Station or journeying around the Moon.<\/p>\n
We sat down with Twine to find out how he launched his career \u2013 and what it\u2019s like to get a phone call from an astronaut in space.<\/p>\n
An Aspiring Athlete<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a kid, I never pictured myself working at NASA,\u201d Twine said. \u201cI pictured myself working in the NFL or professional baseball or all of those other dreams that many kids have.\u201d<\/p>\n Twine was an athlete in high school and planned to play at the collegiate level. But things changed after he began classes at Norfolk State University in Virginia.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my professors was the first strength and conditioning specialist I ever knew,\u201d Twine said. \u201cI learned there are people who just train other people to improve their performance. And from that moment on, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Energized by his passion for strength and conditioning, Twine earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in kinesiology and exercise science at Norfolk State and a master\u2019s of kinesiology from Michigan State. He worked with several collegiate and professional teams while taking his career to new heights.<\/p>\n From Weight Benches to Weightlessness<\/strong><\/p>\n Twine was a graduate assistant coach for the Michigan State football team when he first learned NASA was looking for a strength and conditioning coach. Until that moment, he\u2019d been entirely focused on sports, but he was excited by the new opportunity, and applied. He went to work with NASA in 2002 and trained space shuttle astronauts for their missions. Then, his path shifted again.<\/p>\n He spent the next 15 years as a conditioning coach in college football, first with West Virginia University and then the University of Michigan. From there, he went to work with the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an amazing opportunity to work with the soldiers who were doing so much to protect and serve,\u201d Twine said.<\/p>\n Twine returned to Johnson Space Center in 2018. Today, he prepares astronauts for flights to the space station and for the Artemis missions to come, which will carry crews \u2013 including the first woman and first person of color \u2013 to the Moon.<\/p>\n Astronauts know Twine is always willing to provide guidance. He took that assistance to a new level one day when he received a mysterious call from \u201cU.S. Government\u201d on his cell phone. To his surprise, it turned out to be an astronaut about 250 miles above Earth aboard the space station.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had a question about their training,\u201d said Twine, who chatted with the astronaut. Together, they worked out a solution in real time. \u201cIt was a great asset because we were able to adjust and do some things to help their training instead of just going through email.\u201d<\/p>\n Advice to Students: Success Takes Effort \u2013 But You Can Do It<\/strong><\/p>\n Twine recalls struggling academically during middle and high school and feeling intimidated about college. Fortunately, a friend who was a few years ahead of him shared some simple but meaningful advice: \u201cNo test is hard if you study for it.\u201d If you put in the effort until you know the material, you\u2019ll succeed.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember to this day, the first test in my freshman year in college, I studied for a test for the first time,\u201d Twine said. \u201cI read every single thing in the chapter. I read everything in the back of the book. I read all of the information the professor gave.\u201d<\/p>\n His hard work paid off with that test and he vowed to keep up that level of effort.<\/p>\n \u201cI continued that behavior all through undergrad and also through grad school, and it worked every single time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Twine cautions against believing you\u2019re not smart enough and says you just need to put in the hard work.<\/p>\n Corey Twine<\/p>\n Astronaut Fitness Trainer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Learn more about Corey Twine and how he helps NASA astronauts stay in spaceflight-ready shape in this episode of Surprisingly STEM.<\/p>\n \n