Today a badminton match took place at more than 400,000 meters above sea level. Disputed between cosmonauts from Roscosmos, astronauts from NASA and the European Space Agency, and two Japanese space tourists, the game was played on the Harmony node of the International Space Station.
According Roscosmos, the purpose of the event was to promote an active lifestyle, mainly in developed countries where the population is decreasing and the proportion of overweight and obese people continues to increase.
In addition to the crew of the International Space Station, the three members of the Soyuz MS-20 mission, who arrived at the station on December 8 in a Russian capsule, participated in the match. This mission is financed by the Japanese millionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who brought with him his assistant, Yozo Hirano. The third member is the mission commander, Alexander Misurkin.
Maezawa and his companions have been in space for nine days. In three days they will return to Earth with enough footage for a documentary. Maezawa is also uploading videos to his social networks, such as one in which show the new bathroom of the Russian module Nauka. The eccentric businessman (founder of the clothing brand Zozo) has also booked a flight around the Moon with SpaceX’s Starship, for which will draw eight seats.
This is not the first time badminton has been played on the International Space Station. There are several rackets and feathers on board the station. The first microgravity badminton match took place in 2018. Two cosmonauts from Roscosmos participated (including Misurkin), an astronaut from NASA and another from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Roscosmos won.
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