The International Space Station (ISS) looks like a really fun place, as the astronauts there they engage in Olympic sports in zero-gravity conditions.
The Tokyo Olympics are over, with the closing ceremony taking place today Sunday. But before we say goodbye to one of the most unusual Olympic Games that will be remembered because of the coronavirus, the astronauts on the International Space Station have some last minute entries for the judges to examine.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency posted on Twitter a series of four videos showing some ISS astronauts performing zero-gravity exercises, which they called routines, and which may have been good additions to future Olympic Games. They even hung small flags of all the countries represented. The videos are quite durable and watch with the sound open, as the background music is quite close to the spectacle.
We start with gymnastics and "Lack of Floor Routine". We can't figure out the rules here (does it touch nothing or does it touch everything?), but everyone gets style points:
Space #Olympics 1 / 4:
Lack-of-floor routine - much 👏 to Pyotr for completing his routine without touching anything, a difficult feat!
🥇
Gym hors-sol – on ne dirait pas comme ça, more les immobilisations en plein vol de Piotr requièrent a great experience#MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/gXAHSHHmcu- Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6
Here is the "no handball", also known as space hockey, which seems much, much more difficult at zero gravity:
Space #Olympics 2 / 4:
No-handball - we had to adapt the rules a bit during the match, much investment on both sides for the win.
(I.e.
Handball sans les mains – the rules must be adapted during a match that we describe soberly as intense. pic.twitter.com/dVOv3GRThD- Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6
We continue with "synchronized swimming in space". There is a team here work and the team clearly worked on these routines, despite the lack of water required for the terrestrial version of the sport:
Space #Olympics 3 / 4:
Synchronized space swimming - an Opportunity to show teamwork and crew cohesion.
🤝
Synchronized flotation – the occasion to demonstrate one of the most important skills of an astronaut: team spirit #MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/Ljo65AkzNQ- Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6
Finally, we have shooting, where they shoot something that looks like a rubber band at an improvised target:
Space #Olympics 4 / 4:
Weightless sharpshooting – concentration and skill (or luck)
🎯
Tir sans gravité – concentration and persévérance on dicté cette épreuve pour bien negocier la trajectoire des élastiques#MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/eV2cSxEWQ5- Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6
And of course we also have a closing ceremony, with Aki Hoshide of JAXA (Japanese space service) to deliver an Olympic flag to France's Pesquet, an eminently fitting move since the 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris.
https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1424278282300702720
Congratulations to all those who won a medal at the real Olympics, but we think that seeing astronauts spin synchronously with each other and chase a small ball in space will attract a huge audience to future games.
