Programs

Action and Reaction: Sports in Space Videos

Can you play sports in space?

Richard Garriott, the next civilian to fly into space, 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?”.

Check out the short videos of football moves below with Ken and some students here on Earth, and tell us what you think would happen if you were in space, and you

• Threw a football with varying amounts of force;
• Tried to jump to catch a pass;
• Tried to block your opponent in the weightlessness of space;
• Tried to change direction;
• Drop kicked a football, or;
• Played paper football in space

Can the moves be done in space? If so, which ones? If not, which ones can not be done in space? Why?

Click here to submit your prediction! We will post it on our YouTube channel and you can compare your predictions to what happens when Richard does them in space!

Richard will try these moves when he is onboard the space station this fall, and his videos will be available here upon his return.

Sports Moves on Earth with Students and Ken Harvey	Downloadable Video Clip (.mov files)
Ken Harvey talks about Sports in Space	Ken Harvey Sports Talk (8.5 MB)
Ken Harvey warms up with students	Ken Harvey Warms Up (8.0 MB)
Football Throws
Ken throws football with correct amount of force	Long Shot (3.6 MB), Close Up (3.4 MB)
Ken throws football with too much force	Long Shot (2.8 MB), Close Up (2.0 MB)
Ken throws football with not enough force	Long Shot (3.5 MB), Close Up (5.5 MB)
Ken catches football thrown with correct amount of force	Long Shot (3.4 MB), Close Up (3.9 MB)
Ken misses football thrown with not enough force	Long Shot (3.2 MB), Close Up (5.0 MB)
Ken misses football thrown with too much force	Long Shot (3.2 MB), Close Up (3.5 MB)
Student catches football thrown with correct amount of force	Long Shot (3.8 MB), Close Up (5.1 MB)
Student misses football thrown with not enough force	Long Shot (2.7 MB), Close Up (3.5 MB)
Student misses football thrown with too much force	Long Shot (3.0 MB), Close Up (4.9 MB)
Jumping to Catch
Ken jumps with correct amount of force to catch ball	Long Shot (2.5 MB)
Ken jumps with too much force and misses ball	Long Shot (3.0 MB)
Ken jumps with too little force and misses ball	Long Shot (2.0 MB)
Student jumps with correct amount of force to catch ball	Long Shot (5.1 MB)
Blocking Different Masses
Ken blocking student who has a smaller in mass - A large mass hard to move!	Long Shot (2.9 MB)
Student blocking Ken who has a larger mass – A small mass is easy to move!	Long Shot (2.9 MB)
Student blocks another student of equal mass – No one wins!	Long Shot (5.7 MB)
Using Friction to change Direction
Ken runs around a stationary blocker, changing his direction using friction	Long Shot (3.5 MB), Close Up (2.2 MB)
Student runs around a stationary blocker, changing his direction using friction	Long Shot (2.5 MB)
Kicking a Football
Ken kicks a football held by student	Long Shot (3.9 MB)
Ken drop kicks a football	Long Shot (5.0 MB)
Student kicks a football held by Ken	Long Shot (4.2 MB)
Student drop kicks a football	Long Shot (4.0 MB)
Paper Football
Ken plays paper football with student on a table	Close Up (2.0 MB)
Student kicks paper football with Ken doing goal posts	Close Up (4.1 MB)

Thank you to Nathan, Noah, Ryan, Connor, Zophia, Madison and Shannon.

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