Activity 8: Astronaut antics - (For teachers) Agility
Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut AGILITY ASTRO-COURSE A NASA Fit Explorer Mission Handout – Educator Guide Learning Objectives Students will: complete an agility course as quickly and as accurately as possible to improve movement skills, coordination, and speed; and record observations about improvements in agility during this physical experience in the Mission Journal. Introduction Anyone who wants to improve their quickness and speed should try agility training like an astronaut. Agility is the ability to rapidly change directions without the loss of speed, balance, or body control. Agility training is at the core of any astronaut’s endurance level. If you want to last longer on the dance floor, field, or the court without getting winded agility is the key. Agility training will reduce your risk of injury and gives you the extra wind you need to make it through a game or the entire season. Proper agility training will give you more flexibility and let your body take on the challenges that can come in any physical activity. Everyday we come into situations where agility helps us. If you ride a bike, skateboard, play videogames, roller blade, or play any type of sports, you must rely on your agility to be successful in these activities. For example, in the game of basketball having good agility skills is extremely important in order to reduce or eliminate turnovers. Basketball players are always starting, stopping, and changing directions and speeds. Basketball champions don’t become champions without doing agility training. You can improve your performance in any sport or physical activity by practicing agility drills. Just like an athlete, it is necessary for an astronaut to do strength and agility training. The healthier and stronger the astronaut is, the better they will perform during a space mission and when they return to Earth. Astronauts go through vigorous physical fitness training before each mission to prepare their bodies for space flight. Astronauts lose agility while spending time in space because they are floating around and don‘t have to change directions quickly. An overall strength, conditioning, and rehabilitation program is designed to enable the astronauts to meet the physical demands of space missions as well as keep them healthy for their return to Earth’s gravity. Astronauts practice strength and agility training by working with Astronaut Strength, Conditioning & Rehabilitation (ASCR) Specialists. These NASA fitness specialists conduct annual fitness assessments on the astronauts, prescribe individualized exercise programs, and provide one-on-one pre-flight and post-flight conditioning activities. Astronauts that stay in space for 4-6 months are tested on their physical agility before and after their space mission. There is a lot of focus on balance, coordination, and agility. Being in space for long periods of time can affect the astronaut’s ability to react to situations in a timely manner. This is observed once the astronauts have returned to Earth. To help astronauts recover their agility after a mission, they run through an agility course that will test their quickness, reaction time, eye-hand coordination, and speed. This test helps the ASCRs at NASA understand how they can help the astronaut recover their agility faster. On Earth, astronauts make sure their www.trainlikeanastronaut.org Agility Astro-Course – Educator Guide 1/8
