Astronauts need to stay fit on the ground and in space. ESA and other space agencies are using the example of space explorers to promote regular exercise and healthy nutrition among young people worldwide.
André was the European ambassador of Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut 2012, an educational programme for primary school pupils aged 8–12 years led by NASA. Thousands of students are invited to perform physical exercises and classroom lessons, competing with teams from around the world to become as fit as astronauts.
Teams of children practised scientific reasoning and teamwork while participating in hands-on activities during their school lessons. Modules like ‘Do a Spacewalk’ and ‘Climb a Martian Mountain’ are among the tasks, targeting strength, endurance, coordination, balance and spatial awareness. Mission-X is helping the next generation of space explorers to boost their health and fitness.
This educational project will left the launch pad in February 2012 and ran for six weeks.
André was in live contact with the students on Earth in early February, linking ISS with four locations: SpaceExpo, Noordwijk (The Netherlands), Infini.to, Torino (Italia), Ciencia Viva, Lisbon (Portugal), Museum.BL, Basel (Switzerland)
Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States.