Eric Kliszcz (tvpworld.com) – 18th July 2025
A Polish astronaut has been training on an AlterG Anti-Gravity treadmill to help his body adapt to conditions back on Earth after spending over two weeks in orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The European Space Agency (ESA) shared a photo of Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski on its Human Spaceflight social media account, which shows the Polish astronaut exercising on a purpose-built treadmill days after touching down on Earth.
The ESA said: “And back to the gym!… [Uznański-Wiśniewski] uses an ‘anti-gravity’ treadmill as part of the reconditioning programme to adjust to Earth’s gravity.”
Mimicking weightlessness
“The device mimics weightless conditions using air pressure to reduce his body weight, putting less strain on joints and muscles,” the space agency added in its post.
The machine is part of a training and rehabilitation process that Uznański-Wiśniewski has been undergoing at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, Germany. The facility is near an ESA site that helps train, equip and support astronauts, according to the agency’s website.
Uznański-Wiśniewski arrived in Cologne on Tuesday after spending 20 days in space – including 18 aboard the ISS and two days traveling to and from the station – as part of Axiom-4, a multi-agency research operation involving the ESA, NASA and SpaceX.
The Polish astronaut was joined on the mission, which launched on June 25, by American astronaut Peggy Whitson, Hungarian Tibor Kapu and Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla.
The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on Tuesday morning aboard the SpaceX-operated Crew Dragon “Grace” capsule, before being transferred to Houston, Texas.
‘Magical’ mission
Uznański-Wiśniewski then boarded a Polish government flight to Germany so he could undergo rehabilitation and monitoring by the ESA for about a week as he readjusts to Earth’s gravity.
Uznański-Wiśniewski’s work on the ISS was focused on 13 experiments in technology, biology, medicine and psychology.
The 41-year-old Uznański-Wiśniewski, only the second Pole to travel into space, said that the experience had been “one of the most magical moments” of his life, adding: “I hope this mission has also done a lot of good for Poland, for space, for Polish science and technology.”