Sport Illustrated has some great science news today, reporting on the British astronaut who’s running the London Marathon in orbit (on a treadmill):
[Tim] Peake will be a part of the European Space Agency’s Dec. 15 mission to the ISS, and while he is orbiting 249 miles above Earth on April 24 he will be running 26.2 miles on a treadmill while looking at a projection of the course that runs from Greenwich through the English Capital while participants set off on the same course.
The spaceman will be in a special harnessed treadmill for the jog, which he recognizes may hinder his performance.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ll be facing is the harness system. In microgravity I would float if I didn’t strap myself down to the treadmill so I have to wear a harness system that’s a bit similar to a rucksack. It has a waistbelt and shoulder straps. That has to provide quite a bit of downforce to get my body onto the treadmill so after about 40 minutes, that gets very uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ll be setting any personal bests.