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Astronaut plays baseball with himself

Space is loaded

Astronaut plays baseball with himself
25 November 2011

A Japanese astronaut has discovered a way of keeping fit in space and wasting his time simultaneously

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about space travel, it’s that there seems to be plenty of time in which to bugger about.

Enter, then, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, who appears to have no ‘space work’ to be getting on with and has taken to playing baseball. With himself.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will doubtless be thrilled that he’s found something to fill up his time while ‘working’ on the International Space Station.

He pitches, propels himself along the ship, then picks up a bat and hits it, before then, perhaps a bit pointlessly, chasing the ball and getting himself out.

The 47-year-old landed in Kazakhstan earlier this week, along with two fellow astronauts – which begs a rather tragic question…