Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have posted what’s being called the “unbeatable” and “out of this world” version of one of the most popular challenges – the Mannequin Challenge. The video has been captured by ISS crew and shows five of the six astronauts performing the challenge in microgravity. Well, executing mannequin challenge in microgravity is no trivial task!
What’s the Mannequin Challenge?
The Mannequin Challenge went viral on the internet. It’s a trend where people remain frozen – like mannequins – while a moving camera films them. The song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd usually plays in the background. Twitter and Instagram saw the hashtag #MannequinChallenge trending for a number of days. Started on October 12, 2016 by students in Jacksonville, Florida, the challenge has gone viral and has been accepted and performed by many celebrities, including the First Lady of the United States – Michelle Obama, Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Ellen DeGeners and more.
ISS Astronauts Execute A Mind-blowing Version Of The Mannequin Challenge
The video footage shows the ISS astronauts executing the mannequin challenge in microgravity. The camera surveys the setting and the environment around the ISS while the astronauts are still – just like mannequins. Posted by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet on social media, the video also shows how the other ISS crew are repairing stuff and how those who are participating in the challenge stay afloat without clinging onto somebody or something. It’s quite interesting to see the astronauts absolutely still in microgravity. Most of the videos we have seen usually show the astronauts floating around, doing their work.
The Mannequin Challenge could be something that the astronauts have already been trained for. Because being rock steady and standstill in microgravity is an important skill the astronauts have to master to get stuff done in serious, critical ISS missions. But the astronauts aren’t there to complete the mannequin challenge, they are on board the ISS on a mission to upgrade the power system for ISS.