The new Mars rover Curiosity will land on the Red Planet in three days. Since this historic event takes place in the midst of the Summer Olympic games, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson decided to have some fun on Twitter imagining what the Olympics would be like on Mars. For the most part, it doesn't end well.
For starters, all athletes would suffocate.
Ignoring this complication, Tyson provides some other outcomes for different sports:
Swimming:
The low temperature & low air pressure would force the pool to simultaneously freeze & boil
Cycling:
Try Olympus Mons -- a volcanic mountain 5x taller than Mont Blanc in the Alps.
Kayaking:
Like to Kayak white waters? Valles Marineris on Mars is nearly 10x the length of Arizona's Grand Canyon.
Rowing:
Rowing on Mars would log about the same race times. There's hardly any movement with or against the 62% lower gravity there.
Gymnastics:
On Mars, with only 38% of Earth's gravity, the Vault & other spring-assisted leaps would resemble circus cannons.
Weightlifters:
Weightlifters, whose sole job is to raise barbells from planets that attracts them, on Mars achieve 2.6x their personal bests
SEE ALSO: The New Mars Rover Would Be Crippled Without These Tools >
Please follow Science on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
