Here's What The Olympics Would Look Like In Space, Thanks To The ISS
The Olympics are always a fascinating spectacle to watch, and thanks to the imagination of the International Space Station crew, the team recently showed what the Olympics might look like if they were held in space. The 2020 Summer Olympics concluded on August 8 with big wins across the board. The United States came in first place with 113 total medals (39 being gold), China held second place with 88 total medals (including 38 gold ones), followed by Japan in third place taking home 58 medals. This year's gathering looked substantially different due to COVID precautions and no live crowd to cheer the athletes on, but regardless, the Olympics still went on.
Along with the Olympics being a welcome distraction from everything happening here on Earth, the ISS team was also likely excited to host its own summer games for the same reason. Just a few days ago, the International Space Station faced a pretty dramatic accident. A computer glitch caused a Russian module to inadvertently fire its thrusters, causing the ISS to be kicked off its normal trajectory. No one was injured, and the station was quickly put back on course, but it did create a pretty scary situation.
Looking to liven things up and give the crew a way to unwind, some members aboard the ISS recently held their own 'Space Olympics.' French astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured and uploaded videos of the games, showcasing four different routines in which the team took full advantage of their zero-gravity environment. Paired with music and flags representing the countries of everyone on board, it looks like a pretty fantastic time.
The first game of the Space Olympics was "lack-of-floor routine." The four-minute clip shows the ISS astronauts performing their best flips and spins without touching the floor. All of the attempts are really impressive, with Russian astronaut Pyotr completing his without touching anything. The next game was "no-handball." For this game, the crew had to get a ping-pong ball through a hatch seel using only their breath. Paired with commentary, fakeouts, and penalty shots, it's even more hilarious to watch than it sounds.
For the third game, the ISS crew worked together for "synchronized space swimming." The moves are really impressive considering the absence of gravity and the tight corridors of the ISS — and the salsa music playing in the background makes it that much better. Last but certainly not least, the fourth and final game was "weightless sharpshooting." Using a large rubber band, the crew takes turns shooting it at a target at the other end of the hallway. As Pesquet says, "concentration and skill (or luck) proved necessary to reach the target."
The Space Olympics wrapped up with their own closing ceremony, with Pasquet and Aki Hoshide holding up a banner for the Paris 2024 Olympics before floating up out of view. There's a lot of excitement that 2024's Olympics will be able to return to a greater level of normalcy, including fewer travel restrictions and a real, live audience. Here's to hoping the ISS hosts another Space Olympics, too, because it sure does look like a whole lot of fun.
Source: Thomas Pesquet