Para-swimming
Your mission: Perform a course immersed in water using only your arms to prepare for your future extravehicular activity!
This resource was created by CNES, ESERO France 2024

During their spacewalks outside the space station, astronauts find themselves in the vacuum of space, attached to the station only by their hands and a safety tether. With their bulky spacesuits allowing them to breathe in space, their movements are highly restricted, and they must slowly pull themselves along the station’s exterior using their arms.
Before traveling to the station, astronauts train in massive swimming pools. Swimming is also a key event in the Paralympic Games, where athletes of all disabilities compete in the same events as in the Olympic Games.
Your mission is to train for movement during extravehicular activities. To do so, you will need to cross the pool using only your arms, without relying on your legs.
Coordination, Endurance, Strength, Spatial Awareness
Develop motor skills and build body awareness.
Learn and apply methods and tools through individual or group practice.
Share rules, take on roles, and accept responsibilities to foster teamwork.
Maintain health through regular physical activity.
Embrace a culture of physical, sporting, and artistic expression.
- Pool with water lines and ropes
- Pool equipment: mats, foam noodles…
- Optional: Watch or stopwatch
Explore more Mission X activities!
Your Mission: Investigate which factors affect plant growth, and relate these factors to growing plants in space. All the things …
Your mission: Crate your own craters! This resource was created by Space Expo in collaboration with NSO, The Netherlands 2026 …
Let’s HIIT the space gym and get ready to sweat! To keep those hearts and lungs healthy, perform a series …
Your Mission: Perform body-weight squats and push-ups to develop upper and lower body strength in muscles and bones. Astronauts must …
During a spacewalks, astronauts need some serious dexterity and hand-eye coordination to carefully complete tasks, all while wearing bulky gloves …
Your Mission: Observe and compare bones, and design bone models to investigate ways to keep bones healthy. Explorers need strong …
Your Mission: Perform a climb training activity on wall bars or a rock wall to improve balance and coordination, and …
Votre mission: Effectuer un parcours immergé dans l’eau pour préparer pour votre future sortie extravéhiculaire. This resource was created by …
Your Mission: Investigate healthy food choices and Calorie needs for life on earth vs. life in space Astronauts living on …
Join ESA astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti and Jaime from Cosmic Kids on a brand new adventure… Yoga in Space! Follow along …
