Published: March 25, 2011
Students Train Like Astronauts in Mission X Challenge
WASHINGTON - NASA today hosted a health and fitness challenge known as "Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut" where fourth-grade students in the College Station Independent School District (CSISD) in Texas were encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.
The United States, Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Colombia, Spain and United Kingdom hosted teams for the first Mission X challenge. NASA selected CSISD to participate on behalf of the U.S., along with 3,700 other students from more than 25 cities worldwide.
The initiative supports the goals of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, and First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" program announced in February 2010. Both efforts are designed to encourage Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.
At a final event Thursday at College Station Tiger Stadium in Texas, NASA Associate Administrator for Education and former astronaut Leland Melvin and astronaut Rick Linnehan shared their space travel experience with students. They also discussed the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies.
At the finale to Mission X, students also toured the "Driven To Explore" NASA trailer and participated in exploration-inspired activities. Certificates of participation were presented to each of the schools.
"Mission X is all about inspiring and educating our youth to live a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on improving their overall daily physical activity."-Dennis Grounds, NASA manager of the Human Research Program at Johnson
During the six-week Mission X, participants completed physical activities modeled after the real-life training requirements of humans traveling in space. To follow the progress of Mission X teams, visit:
http://www.trainlikeanastronaut.org
Source: NASA
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