On Thursday, June 26, the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station got a chance to catch up on the action at the 2014 World Cup games in Brazil as the U.S. team took on Germany. U.S. astronaut Reid Wiseman called down to Mission Control during lunch and requested that the game be linked up the station so the crew could follow along.
With Germany winning Thursday’s match, U.S. astronauts Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman considered how seriously they wanted to take a friendly challenge made with their German crewmate, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst. In an interview earlier this week, Gerst explained, “If the U.S. wins, these guys are going to draw a little U.S. flag on my head, but I think if Germany wins these guys should have to shave their heads. Either way I’m looking forward to the game. It’s going to be fun.” After the match, Gerst posted this photo to Twitter, saying “Mission accomplished” and thanking the German and U.S. soccer teams for a fun evening in space.
> Friendly Rivalry Pits U.S. vs. German Astronauts on Space Station
Image Credit: NASA/ESA