Seeking fitness inspiration? NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio, along with four fitness professionals and athletes, will share workout tips during a special Google+ Hangout from space at 12:15 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 6.
The Hangout can be seen live on NASA’s Google+ page or on NASA Television. In addition to Hopkins and Mastracchio, participants are:
— Jeannette Epps, NASA astronaut
— Curt Tomasevicz, U.S. Olympic bobsledder, participating from Sochi, Russia
— Rich Froning Jr., CrossFit Games Champion
— Jared Crick, Houston Texans professional football player
— Peter Moore, Men’s Health magazine
Hopkins, a lifelong fitness enthusiast, is sharing his workouts from space via the “Train Like an Astronaut” Facebook page and YouTube. Astronauts aboard the space station workout at least two hours a day in order to minimize bone and muscle loss — an effect of extended time in a weightless environment. They have three different devices they can use to maintain fitness – a treadmill, a stationary bicycle and the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). Hopkins plans to demonstrate the ARED from the Tranquility module during the Hangout.
Hopkins grew up participating in several sports and was All-Big Ten Defensive Back and team captain for the University of Illinois football team. His other recreational interests include hockey, backpacking, snow skiing and running. He also is a fan of CrossFit training and weight lifting.
A colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Hopkins launched to space on Sept. 25 aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He completed two spacewalks in December, working to replace a faulty ammonia tank on the space station’s exterior. He will return to Earth at the conclusion of his first spaceflight mission in March.
NASA’s social media followers may submit questions on Twitter and Google+ before and during the Hangout using the hashtag #askNASA.
To join the Hangout, visit:
https://plus.google.com/events/cpigjb8l5n1p9cjl98lueba0apc
To connect with Hopkins or Mastracchio on Twitter, follow:
@AstroIllini and @AstroRM
To view Hopkins workout video from space, visit:
To view and share Hopkins and other astronaut workouts, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/trainastronaut
For Hopkins’ astronaut biography, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hopkins-ms.html
To view the Hangout on NASA TV, visit:
