Russia Leads World in Hyper Competitive Cosmic Sports League, Held in International Space Station
Male doubles, cosmic rules. Everyone won.
The first orbital badminton tournament was held on the International Space Station. The Russian team played with the US and Japan. Its speed differs from the one at a regular tournament. Everything looks like in a slow-motion video. Astronauts demonstrated unusual sport positions. One can play from the air, like on a beach, or upside down, the rules don't prohibit it. And it doesn't affect the legerity. A full-scale team match was held on the ISS for the first time. Earlier, astronauts managed to play volleyball and baseball and launching a frisbee.
After badminton, spectators suggest organizing biathlon and hockey on orbit. Or something completely new, like a vacuum cleaners race. As Russian astronaut Anton Shkaplerov proved, this home appliance is suitable for a competition.
No one has worked out the cosmic sports rules, so Mariya Kireyeva will be the first to do it.
- Mariya, good evening!
- Hello, Alexei!
- Do you think there'll be doping problems?
- I hope there's no need for it in space, but there's also no one to control it.
I think it wasn't by chance that they chose to play badminton. This is the favorite activity of astronauts and other Roscosmos employees. The competition took place in November. Roscosmos has been holding a spartakiad for two years. More than 1,000 people from 25 companies, which are part of the state corporation, participated in the last one. Apart from badminton, they competed in futsal, pickup ball, volleyball, tennis and table tennis, weightlifting, and chess.
The ISS isn't a football field, and astronauts should be careful even playing badminton. as the reaction motion principle works in gravity-free conditions. The object which gives acceleration to another object receives the same one. But it has an opposite direction. For example, a birdie launched by an elite sportsman can reach a speed of 419 kilometers per hour. So, if they were on the ISS and hit the birdie, they'd fly away from it at a great speed.
By the way, the reaction motion principle was used by astronaut Anton Skaplerov when he flew on a vacuum cleaner, which we have mentioned. The experiment was positively met on Earth. Astronauts not only have a good sense of humor but also strive to keep fit. There are three treadmills on the ISS. Though, they have several peculiarities because of zero gravity. First, a vibration isolation system was created for them. Otherwise, astronauts would impact the Station's body while running, which is unacceptable. Finally, they need to attach their bodies when running on the treadmill. Otherwise, astronauts would go up after the very first step.
Mikhail Korniyenko, astronaut: "To run on this treadmill, as on ours, one principle should be observed, you need to be attached to it. You put on a special harness, as we call it, They are attached to the wall here. And, with the help of retractions, they are connected to the treadmill, the strength of the adhesion being regulated by the computer. Usually, it's 70% of the weight. So, if I weigh 75 kilograms, I am attached with a weight of around 55".
Astronauts also use a special simulator. Using vacuum containers, it imitates gravitation and helps to perform several exercises. For example, squats or swimming imitation. In zero gravity conditions and without physical exercise, astronauts lose up to 15% of their muscles, and some of it can't be recovered. So, hip circumference can shrink by 5.5 centimeters, and the shank — by 3.5 centimeters, the heart muscle also changes, and even the shape of the heart. One more consequence is the loss of calcium which makes bone tissue more fragile.
By the way, for astronauts to keep fit, new sports are being developed. One of them is floatball. It has elements of basketball and American football. And one can get more points by putting the other team's player to the net, instead of the ball.
Sport is very important on orbit. Every day, astronauts spend 2-2.5 hours on it. And risky sports that also let the mind relax is all the more necessary.
- Mariya Kireyeva told about cosmic fun.