Hey kids! Just a quick update for you on the space treadmill saga. When last we checked in, astronaut Nicole Stott was scheduled to have the first run on the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. on Friday, and we were told there would be video. It doesn’t look like any video has surfaced yet, and I’m not sure if that means there won’t be any, or they just haven’t got around to it. But we do have confirmation that the test run took place, from Nicole Stott’s Twitter feed:
According to the ISS status report for Saturday, Oct. 10, the test was successful and the treadmill was cleared for use. NASA astronaut Mike Barratt and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka both used the COLBERT for their last exercise session on the ISS on Saturday before returning to Earth aboard their Soyuz spacecraft on Sunday.
I’m kind of disappointed that there’s no video, but I did come across this amusing picture of several of the space station crew goofing around on the treadmill with a pretend “test run.” For all the time they spend doing serious work up there, it’s good that they get a chance to have a little fun once in a while!
Photo credit: NASA
Good news!
My only question is why have the officials announced that they would like to retire the ISS in next years? It costs money but it also provides a fantastic environment for science experiments.
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I know, it seems kind of insane to talk about retiring it before they’re even done constructing it, especially since so many billions of dollars have been spent to put it in orbit. But at the moment, U.S. government funding for the station does not extend beyond 2016. An independent committee evaluating the future of human space flight has recommended that the funding be extended to 2020, so I’m hopeful that the Obama administration will seriously consider that recommendation.
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Aww, that fun photo is so cute. And yes, I had a fine geekout moment when I saw Astro_Nicole’s tweet, both because of the treadmill, and ya know…TWEETS FROM SPAAAAACE!
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I hope they can get another live video feed, because I would love to watch another OMG! SPACE! interview with Nicole (or the team!) on the C.O.L.B.E.R.T.
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That photo is hilarious. I giggled and thought of OK Go when I first saw it, only it’s much cooler because it’s in space!
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My first thought was, hey, treadmill version of a clown car! I just love that they all appear to be laughing.
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Why is it that I think it’s adorable that astronauts are up in OMG! SPACE!! in their socks? Obviously, it’s sensible and all. But still, somehow cute.
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