Olympics in space? Astronauts gave it a try
- ISS astronauts celebrate Olympics with zero-gravity sports
- Crew attempts weightlifting, sprinting, and gymnastics in space
- Astronauts wish earthbound athletes good luck from orbit
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(NewsNation) — Astronauts aboard the International Space Station marked the start of the Paris Olympics by attempting weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics in zero gravity.
NASA released footage Friday showing the crew trying their hand at various Olympic sports while orbiting more than 250 miles above Earth.
“We’ve had an absolute blast pretending to be Olympic athletes,” said NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick. “We have the benefit of weightlessness. We can’t imagine how hard it must be to be a world-class athlete doing your sports under actual gravity.”
The astronauts improvised equipment for their space-based games. They used a plastic table for pommel horse exercises and passed a symbolic “torch” — without flame due to safety concerns in the space environment.
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson attempted weightlifting while two crewmates hung from each end of the bar.
The crew also participated in a longstanding space station tradition: Attempting to throw objects the length of the station without hitting any walls.
“From all of us on the International Space Station to every single athlete at the Olympic Games, Godspeed,” Dominick said.
The Paris Olympics officially opened on July 26 and will run through August 11.
