Ride summary
Update: and they are off. Follow the progress in real-time and get updates on their blog.
ESA employees are set to bike 900 km linking four European Space Agency sites, we let Andrew Herd introduce his project:
Traveling on a Soyuz spacecraft, astronauts can take less than six hours to reach the Space Station, orbiting 400 km above Earth. A group of four engineers (all in their 50s, myself included) will spend seven days cycling from the Netherlands to Germany to cover the same distance as the distance from the Space Station and back.
The main goals of the Bike2ISSandBack initiative are to connect four ESA Centres (ESTEC, EAC, ESOC and COL-CC), ‘recruit’ local riders along the way, promote healthy activities, and to raise awareness and research funds for juvenile arthritis – a condition that affects my daughter Gwenna.
Gwenna was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at the end of 2013 when she was 12 years old. The most common symptoms of JIA are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness; ultimately, bones and joints can grow unevenly. Gwenna has received a lot of support and care over the past 3 years. My hope is that, in a small way, the Bike2ISSandBack challenge will give something back to the doctors and scientists who work tirelessly to improve treatments for children with JIA.
The four of us will depart from ESTEC on Tuesday 31 May at 09:00 heading to ESA’s Columbus Control Centre (Col-CC) near Munich, where we hope to make contact with Tim Peake on the Space Station through a live video call. Before we arrive at Col-CC on Monday 6 June, we will visit the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne and ESA’s space operations centre ESOC in Darmstadt.
Schedule
Fitness is essential in space and astronauts do exercise daily to keep healthy. One of the aims of the Bike2ISSandBack is to promote health and fitness on the ground. We have followed a gradual training programme to prepare for cycling 900 km. We’re in good shape for the ride and hope to motivate others to cycle along the way. Our arrival at ESOC will coincide with bike day that will bring over 100 cyclists to the centre where ESA missions come alive.
Follow our journey, and learn more about the cause on Bike2ISSandBack.com
Col-CC seen by Tim Peake from space: “Thanks to all at Mission Control Munich for all you do for ISS operations”
Discussion: 3 comments
This is a great endeavour. We’re doing a similar challenge on the 18th June – we’re going to climb a local hill in Tayside, Scotland, enough times to reach the ISS in total elevation climbed!
We need to reach 400,000m climbing, and we’ve given our team 24 hours of non-stop riding to do it. Cause of Cowrie Velo cycling club, and other local cyclists, will climb the hill through Abernyte as many times as they can from 10am 18th June, to 10am 19th June – all proceeds go directly to the ARCHIE foundation Tayside, to support children’s health care services here in Tayside.
Mark Beaumont, round the World record breaking cyclist and ARCHIE Patron:
‘The ARCHIE foundation is a brilliant charity that is currently raising £2 million for a new children’s operating theatre. As a bike rider and as a passionate supporter of ARCHIE, I think this event to cycle to space will be brilliant fun, with a good dose of pain! I encourage everyone reading this to put the 18th/19th June in their diary and come along to support and ride your bikes uphill! I hope to see you there!’
My son has had JIA since 18months. He’s now 11 years old. Despite a heavy drug regime of Methotrexate & Humira, he remains buoyant and is mostly fit and active. Thank you for raising awareness. Lindsey.
Juvenile Arthritis Parents and Families UK. X
HI Tim Peake Ours is a SWIM to the ISS and back..it started with one and within hours the local community of Woodbridge Suffolk had joined in and then another Wellington in Telford, Shropshire Today another in Felixstowe, Suffolk will join in. Swimmers of all ages are taking part..#SwimtoTim and we are now racing you home #RacefromSpace This is all towards raising funds for an Inflatable Hospital for Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors without Borders Please send a message of encouragement to all the trusty Swimonauts who range from 3-90!! We have 22,381 lengths left! Thankyou