China’s current astronaut crew got into the Olympic spirit in orbit.
Shenzhou 18 crewmembers Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu have been aboard the country’s Tiangong space station since late April and have proven their physical prowess with job-related work such as a national-record spacewalk .
But the astronauts also took some time recently to reenact some of the sports that athletes of the just-completed 2024 Paris Olympics competed in here on Earth .
A Shenzhou 18 astronaut prepares to snag a fake torch aboard the nation’s Tiangong space station, in honor of the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Image credit: CCTV)
Tiangong’s own Olympics — which were featured in a recent video posted by Chinese outlet CCTV — opened with mission commander Ye Guangfu passing an Olympic torch to crewmates Li Cong and Li Guangsu, a transfer that involved a simulated high jump.
Then began table tennis, demonstrated by Li Guangsu. Ye Guangfu and Li Cong then played volleyball, as the China’s women’s volleyball team competed in Paris.
The astronauts demonstrated a medley of swimming strokes along the length of the three-module Tiangong station as well. Weightlifting — a much easier event in microgravity — was also on show.
Related: Weightlessness and its effect on astronauts
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The crew also expressed their support for China’s athletes.
Chinese astronauts celebrate Olympics on Tiangong space station (video)
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