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.
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.
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The crew also expressed their support for China’s athletes. “May the medals of Chinese Olympic athletes line up from one end of a street to the other. Enjoy the journey and create remarkable moments!” said Ye.
Back on Earth, the United States and China topped the medals tables with 40 golds each, with the U.S. winning more medals overall (126 to 91).
The Shenzhou 18 crew will remain in orbit until October or November. They will then hand over control of Tiangong to the incoming Shenzhou 19 crew, who are yet to be named.
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