Japanese billionaire gets ready for December space mission to ISS

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Huxter

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The same Japanese Billionaire who has booked a flight around the moon, is taking a Soyuz trip to the ISS Dec 8. He sounds like my kinda person!

"His intention is to try to share the experience of what it means to be in space with the general public,"

Maezawa noted that his list of 100 things to do during his time on board the International Space Station would include playing badminton in orbit with his Russian crewmate Misurkin.

https://phys.org/news/2021-10-japanese-billionaire-ready-december-space.html
I personally have been waiting for more sports in space! Or maybe I should say it this way:

S-P-O-R-T-S
I-N
S-P-A-C-E !
:p
 
So if they play badminton in space and the birdie never falls to the ground due to weightlessness then the point goes on forever?
 
Good point (pun). Maybe we need special space cases? Make behind the players the ground. If the birdie gets behind the player, it's a point? Maybe tape off the "Ground" area?

What other sports would be cool in space? Golfing is always fun (Moon or ISS)!

Frisbee golf? Darts? Horse shoes? Kick the can!?
 
I wonder how far away the dart board would be from the players on the Moon. 50 yards, a 100 yards?
You’d need some special dart on the moon, maybe something that spins that will keep the pointy end forward, since the “Flight” part of the standar dart (yup, I looked it up, I was thinking fins or fletching or feathers) will have no effect.

TRAJECTORY won‘t matter, if I have the physics right it is dependent on the dart Mass, release velocity and direction/vector, and moon gravity. So it will HIT the same place even if it tumbles, but can’t guarantee the pointy end will hit first. For hand tossed targeting sports in a vacuum, Velcro covered balls would work, and be a lot safer.
throwing pointy things INSIDE a pressurized space vehicle may not be a great option.

Martial Arts would be a hoot. as for boxing, as Orson Scott Card pointed out in Ender’s Game, throwing a punch doesn’t work well in zero G unless your body is braced against something.

i hope the billionaire has a great and safe flight and experience.




https://www.dartslive.com/enjoy/en/goods/

8D94AAE9-F390-4B66-887A-57AF15FCBF70.jpeg
 
Throwing a dart on the moon would be like throwing a baseball with a red dot on it. Few people could keep the pointy end or red dot pointing forward, if anyone. There might be a way to spin it like a football.

Racing any vehicle on the moon would be interesting.

I’d watch a slam dunk contest.
 
You’d need some special dart on the moon, maybe something that spins that will keep the pointy end forward, since the “Flight” part of the standar dart (yup, I looked it up, I was thinking fins or fletching or feathers) will have no effect.

TRAJECTORY won‘t matter, if I have the physics right it is dependent on the dart Mass, release velocity and direction/vector, and moon gravity. So it will HIT the same place even if it tumbles, but can’t guarantee the pointy end will hit first. For hand tossed targeting sports in a vacuum, Velcro covered balls would work, and be a lot safer.
throwing pointy things INSIDE a pressurized space vehicle may not be a great option.

Martial Arts would be a hoot. as for boxing, as Orson Scott Card pointed out in Ender’s Game, throwing a punch doesn’t work well in zero G unless your body is braced against something.

i hope the billionaire has a great and safe flight and experience.




https://www.dartslive.com/enjoy/en/goods/

View attachment 492251

When I used to play darts, I put a ton of spin on them as I released them, basically snapping my thumb against my forefinger. The darts would typically fly straight but with the tail up at about 20-30 deg. Not sure why I developed that technique and I don't think it was necessarily helpful, but that's what I did. I imagine with a tungsten (or whatever they use today) barrel, the spin method might keep it somewhat stable. Maybe not. . .I'll never find out.

Sandy.
 
A hole in one contest. Use a crater as the hole. But on the other side of the moon. A long drive contest. Who can get their ball into orbit. I like the racing idea.
 
There are actually two Japanese space tourists on this flight.
The crew launched today, docked and transited the hatchway.
ISS entry at the 57 minute mark:
 
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