Programs

Sports in Space: Action and Reaction

Can you play sports in space?

Richard Garriott teams up with former NFL player and four time pro bowler, Ken Harvey and Challenger Center to ask, "What happens when you block an opponent on Mars, leap for a reception on the Moon, or throw a tight spiral on the space station?”.
From August to January, tens of thousands of people spend several hours on Sunday afternoons watching professionals perform physics demonstrations. They do this simply by watching a football game. Sport players perform a number of moves that we are familiar with and take for granted. When watching a sporting event, you don’t stop and think of the physics needed to throw, kick, or catch a ball; slide into a base; run down field; tackle an opponent or change direction of travel on the field. But each of these motions requires the use of some specific physics that has to be applied in a specific way if you are to be a great sports hero.

Friction, energy, gravity, and momentum are all needed to succeed in sports. Especially important is Newton’s Law of Action and Reaction which states: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Richard Garriott experiments with action and reaction in space and with the help of former NFL player Ken Harvey demonstrated them on Earth.

Essential Questions

• Is there always an equal and opposite reaction for every action?
• How does gravity affect or contribute to common sports motions?
• Is a solid surface (ground) necessary to perform commons sports motions?
  

Sports in Space Videos

Short videos of football moves with Ken Harvey and students here on Earth!

Short videos of Richard Garriott and Ken Harvey preparing to play Sports in Space!

Richard Garriott Blocking an Opponent in Space!

Play the Sports in Space Game!

The new interactive online game lets students to try throwing a football, catching a pass and blocking an opponent in the 1G environment of Earth, the 1/3 gravity of Mars, and the 1/6 gravity of the Moon.

PLAY THE SPORTS IN SPACE GAME!

Action and Reaction Classroom Activities

Elementary

• NASA Fit Explorer Challenges: Train Like an Astronaut
• Lesson: Action and Reaction

Middle/High School

• Lesson: Action and Reaction - Throwing a Spinning Ball
• Lesson: Friction What a Drag!

Student Resources

Elementary

• Science@NASA: The Lunar X-Games
• Science@NASA: Moon Tennis
• The Physics of Sports (Lots of Sites to Explore)
• How Stuff Works: Football Physics

Middle/High School

• NASA Brain Bites: Are BMX Riders Stable?
• NASA Brain Bites: How Do You Land a Spaceship?
• How Stuff Works: The Space Baseball Scenario
• The Law of Action and Reaction
• The Physics of Sports (Lots of Sites to Explore)
• The Exploratorium's Sport Science

Teacher Resources

• Newton's Laws Explained
• Friction Explained with Examples
• The Physics of Sports (Lots of Sites to Explore)
• Sports Physics Sites for Teachers

Richard Garriott Blocking an Opponent in Space!