The astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) held the first-ever Zero Gravity Olympics by dividing themselves into two teams – Team Soyuz and Team Dragon, named after the ship that delivered them to the ISS, says an article published in the Euronews.
Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency (ESA), a French astronaut and current ISS commander, posted the event on social media.
The lack-of-floor routine
The astronauts perform backflips that Earth-bound gymnasts can only dream of during their no-floor performance. However, Russian astronaut Pyotr Dubrov deserves special recognition for ending his zero-gravity performance with a mid-air Superman posture.
No-handball
1 – Team Soyuz, 0 – Team Dragon
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.
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Handball sans les mains – les règles ont dû être adaptées au cours d’un match que nous décrirons sobrement comme intense. pic.twitter.com/dVOv3GRThD— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6, 2021
Both teams competed for goals by leading a ping pong ball with their breath through a gate. Team Soyuz’s Mark Vande Hei and Oleg Novitsky put the ball behind Team Dragon after the ESA’s Pesquet missed the early penalty shot. Another win by Soyuz.
Soyuz Team – 2 Dragon Team – 0
Synchronized space swimming
Space #Olympics 3/4:
Synchronised space swimming – an opportunity to show teamwork and crew cohesion.
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Flottation synchronisée – l’occasion de démontrer une des plus importantes compétences un astronaute : l’esprit d’équipe #MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/Ljo65AkzNQ— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6, 2021
Fortunately, the ISS is not full of water for the astronauts but, you don’t have to swim in space.
The teams have performed very well, but Team Dragon’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough of NASA, Astronaut Aki Hoshide JAXA, and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet from the ESA will be awarded a Next Gold medal for their impressive presentation of the mid-air front flips.
Team Soyuz – 2 Team Dragon – 1
Weightless sharpshooting
Space #Olympics 4/4:
Weightless sharpshooting – concentration and skill (or luck) proved necessary to reach the target.
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Tir sans gravité – concentration et persévérance ont dicté cette épreuve pour bien négocier la trajectoire des élastiques#MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/eV2cSxEWQ5— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 6, 2021
The decisive event showed that both teams were leading and fired gigantic rubber bands towards their destination. Pesquet and Hoshide of Team Dragon missed the target, allowing Dubrov and Novitsky of Team Soyuz to capitalize. NASA astronaut McArthur was not satisfied with a late hit on the objective, and the Soyuz team won.
Soyuz Team – 3 Dragon Team – 1
The farewell ceremony
Avec Aki on a pris un peu d’avance sur la #ClosingCeremony en attendant le vrai passage de relais #Tokyo2020 -> #Paris2024 sur ? dans quelques heures
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With the @Tokyo2020 @Olympics ending today and the next #Olympics to be @Paris2024, @Aki_Hoshide and I held a ceremony pic.twitter.com/7dpYBr4Xwu— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 8, 2021
On Sunday, after handing over the Olympic flame to Paris, Japanese space agency JAXA’s Aki Hoshide and Frenchman Pesquet unfolded the official flag of the Paris 2024 Games. The seven spacefarers took part in the Space Olympics on their day off after a week of conducting scientific experiments on the International Space Station.
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Source: Euronews
