Watch: 'Space Olympics' at ISS with synchronised swimming, weightless sharpshooting & no-handball
International Space Station crew members get ready for Space Olympics (Photo Courtesy: Thomas Pesquet/Flickr)
As the Olympic Games have been going on at a hectic pace in Tokyo, astronauts aboard the International Space Station(ISS) have created their own brand of "Space Olympics".
The crew members had watched the opening ceremony high above the Earth as they split into two teams in space - Soyuz and Crew Dragon although the same Olympic games could not be conducted in zero gravity.
The crew members came up with new original ideas for the games namely synchronised floating or lack-of-floor routine, very long jumps and no-hand ball as they put mini flags of the participating countries atop the ISS lab.
The ISS crew reportedly takepart in two and half hours of daily exercises in space to maintain their fitness levels. The crew is commanded by Akihiko Hoshide of Japan where the Olympic Games are being held with three Americans,two Russian cosmonauts and one French astronaut onboard.
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The Olympic spirit is very much alive at the ISS with the advent of the cosmic games. French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said "The very first Space Olympics, for crew cohesion, we put together a friendly competition between the Soyuz team and the Crew Dragon team. With sports specific to space, mind you."
Also Read:Tokyo Olympics 2020 closing ceremony: When and where to watch
The Maxar Earth observation satellite had earlier captured photos of Japan's National Stadium in Tokyo.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet had earlier wished the athletes good luck as the Olympic Games kicked off in Tokyo last month with the games now set to close today.
In a tweet, Pesquet said: "Weightless sharpshooting – concentration and skill (or luck) proved necessary to reach the target," as the crew celebrated the Olympic spirit.
They also took part in "synchronised space swimming" to exhibit teamwork and crew cohesion.
"No-handball – we had to adapt the rules a bit during the match, much investment on both sides for the win," Pesquet informed.
(With inputs from Agencies)