Get Outside!

Train Like an Astronaut

Are you ready to train like an astronaut? First step, get outside!

Activity 1 - Test your Reaction Time

Have a family member hold a playing card directly above your index finger and thumb, in an open position.
After a countdown from 10, your family member will drop the card between your fingers.
React quickly and see if you grasp the playing card between your index finger and thumb before it falls to the ground.
No playing cards or have a younger sibling? Try a ruler!

Activity 2 - Coin snatch: See if you can move faster than gravity

Bend your arm so that your elbow is sticking straight out in front of your face and your forearm is parallel with the ground and the palm of your hand is open and facing straight up.
Balance a penny or nickel on your arm about an inch from your elbow.
Quickly swing you hand forward and try to catch the coin before it falls toward the ground.Once you are successful, try stacking two coins on your arm and catching them. See how many you can build up to.
Click here for a video that demonstrates this challenge!

Activity 3 - Astronaut Training Course

Set up the following course outside in your yard. When running the course, have a family member time how long it takes you to complete the course. Try it three times. Did your time get shorter, or did it get longer?

1. Crawl under an object (table, chair, bench, or have a sibling hold a pool noodle or stick)

2. Balance along a chalk outline, going heel to toe, or on top of a narrow object such as a landscape brick wall

3. Jump over an item 12” tall

4. Bear crawl or crab crawl before jumping up to grab an item placed high, or touch a point, to end the course

Activity 4 - Experience Weightlessness

Want to experience the feeling of a free fall like our astronauts do in space? Hop on a swing set! You can experience weightlessness and higher G-force the higher you pump! At the top of the forward swing or at the end of the backward swing, you can feel weightless! At the very bottom of the arc of your swing, notice how heavy you feel? That’s called G-force (“G” stands for the force of gravity). At the bottom of the swing’s arc, you can feel as much as 2x the force of gravity. Astronauts usually experience about 3-Gs as they lift of the Earth in a rocket.

Don't forget to share pictures of your family in action!

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