Astronauts experiment with sports in microgravity

Some of the first experiments in space dealt with gravity and weightlessness. They were somewhat simple studies to test the new environment. Alan Shepard was the first man to hit a golf ball on the moon in 1971. He hit two balls, claiming the second traveled for “miles and miles and miles.”

But in fact it was not so. Due to the limitations of his spacesuit, he was unable to lift the ball up or make a full swing. However, his shot at the moon has since inspired testing of golf clubs and other sports equipment in space.

The Cobra Puma Golf Company has developed a driver that has been tested in space.

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“They wanted to do a metallic electrical cladding project in space,” said Nanoracks co-founder Jeffrey Manber. “They were hoping that what you would get are better golf clubs.”

Nanoracks is now part of Voyager Space. The company has helped test equipment in a variety of sports. She also conducted experiments on other household items. Some of these include seeing how whiskey is aged in space with Ardbeg, testing shoe soles alongside Adidas and possible future experiments with an ice cream maker.

“It’s the beginning of using the unique space environment for all kinds of everyday uses,” Manber said.

Thirty-eight years ago, astronaut Bill Nelson, now NASA administrator, operated the first rover ever sent into space. (NASA/Getty Images)

For the Cobra Puma experiment, they looked at how microgravity affected certain metals in hopes of developing stronger, lighter alloys for use on Earth.

“NASA developed screws that basically don’t loosen when you shake them. They put it on a weight at the end of a golf club driver,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Those screws don’t loosen, and you can get the center of gravity of the golf driver even lower.”

Nelson says that anything developed for space has an application on Earth. This includes training facilities on the International Space Station. Astronauts must maintain muscle and bone strength while in space for long periods of time. They work at least six days a week for at least two hours each day. They must use specially designed equipment to move against microgravity.

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“We’ve learned so much since John Glenn first flew into orbit. There was a time before we put astronauts in. We didn’t even know if the eyeball would stay in the hole,” Nelson said. “We put our astronauts through a rigorous exercise program at Zero-G. Because if you don’t have the force of gravity making those muscles tighten against gravity, and you’re just floating around those muscles, those bones are going to atrophy.”

The pulleys that astronauts use keep them attached so that they are able to maintain muscle strength. Their use on Earth has helped those rehabilitating from injuries.

“We take that same pressure, turn it around and use it to get people out of the routine so we can take the weight off an injury while you’re learning to walk or run again,” said Daniel Lockney, program executive of NASA technology transfer.

Nanoracks co-founder Jeffrey Manber said, “It’s the beginning of using the unique space environment for all kinds of everyday uses.” (AP Images)

Nelson used the first rover ever sent into space 38 years ago.

“I ran for 40 minutes on a treadmill, so I ran halfway around the world,” Nelson said.

Nanoracks and Adidas shoes tested helped create more wearable shoes.

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“They actually developed a new process using the microgravity environment. So what you got was, shoes that were more comfortable,” Manber said.

Nanoracks also worked with Adidas to measure the spin rate on a soccer ball.

“They wanted to understand the behavior in microgravity, to understand more about aerodynamic performance,” Manber said.

NASA helped design a swimsuit for the Beijing Olympics. (AP Images)

NASA also helped design a swimsuit for the Beijing Olympics using wind tunnel testing.

“Every gold medalist wore this suit. People were breaking their contracts to get into this thing,” Lockney said.

Those wearing the LZR Racer had so much success that the international swimming federation ended up banning it.

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“Non-pharmaceutical doping, they called it,” Lockney said. “It wasn’t illegal at the time. But now you’re not allowed to wear the NASA suit when you compete in the Olympics because it’s too fast.”