WASHINGTON, March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Fourth-grade students in the College Station Independent School District (CSISD) in Texas have completed six weeks of a NASA health and fitness challenge known as Mission X: Train Like an Astronaut.

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The United States, Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Colombia, Spain and United Kingdom hosted teams for the first Mission X challenge. NASA selected CSISD to participate on behalf of the US, along with 3,700 other students from more than 25 cities worldwide. The initiative supports the goals of the Presidents Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, and First Lady Michelle Obamas Lets Move program announced in June 2010. Both efforts are designed to encourage Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

At a final event Thursday at College Station Tiger Stadium in Texas, NASA Associate Administrator for Education and former astronaut Leland Melvin and astronaut Rick Linnehan shared their space travel experience with students. They also discussed the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies.

The physical fitness portion of Mission X is vital, because fit kids can make better students, Melvin said. But, the team-building aspect is essential to what we do at NASA, from constructing the International Space Station to launching complex science missions. Helping students excel in science and engineering and encouraging them to pursue those careers helps NASA develop future explorers, who will reach higher and take us on the next grand exploration challenge.

At the finale to Mission X, students also toured the Driven To Explore NASA trailer and participated in exploration-inspired activities. Certificates of participation were presented to each of the schools.

Mission X is all about inspiring and educating our youth to live a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on improving their overall daily physical activity, said Dennis Grounds, NASA manager of the Human Research Program at Johnson. All of the countries involved saw this as a national concern. The program was an outstanding success due to a truly inspired effort by the NASA team, the European Space Agency team and the national space agencies of France and Germany.

During the six-week Mission X, participants completed physical activities modeled after the real-life training requirements of humans traveling in space. Students practiced teamwork while participating in training missions targeting strength, endurance, coordination and balance. They also gained an understanding of the science behind nutrition and physical fitness by participating in hands-on activities involving human energy requirements, hydration and bone strength.

Mission X enabled several space agencies and various partner institutions to collaborate to address the quality of health and fitness education and challenge students to be more physically active. The program increased awareness of the importance of lifelong fitness and its vital role in human performance for exploration. As a result, students may be motivated to pursue careers in STEM fields.

The global challenge is coordinated online, where countries can post updates and submit points. The public is invited to track the progress of the teams. The 18 core activities of the challenge are available for download at the site in seven languages.

Visit the site at:

http://www.trainlikeanastronaut.org

In the future, participants hope to expand the pilot program and offer more schools and countries the opportunity to participate. NASAs Human Research Program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston sponsored the US component of the challenge.

To follow the progress of Mission X teams, visit:

http://www.trainlikeanastronaut.org

For more information about NASAs Human Research Program, visit:

http://humanresearch.jsc.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA

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Tags: Physical Activities

SALISBURY ? From pickleball to bowling to a 5K run/walk, the Eastern Shore Senior Games celebrates its 12th year with a variety of competitive activities for young-at-heart athletes.

The games are Thursday-Saturday, May 5-7, at Salisbury University?s Maggs Physical Activities Center and athletic fields, and other locations throughout the community. An opening ceremony at 5 pm Friday, May 6, includes the keynote addresses ?Fitness Challenges Across a Lifetime? with Dr. Scott Mazzetti and ?Injury Prevention in the Older Athlete? with Dr. Brent Fedorko, both of the Health and Sport Sciences Department.

Competitions include aquatics, badminton, bowling, 40K cycling race and recreational ride, fitness testing, floor and foul basketball shooting, golf, pickleball, pump and run, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and team volleyball.

Registration is $25 for a single sport, $40 for unlimited sports. Entries must be postmarked by Monday, March 21. Entries for unlimited sports only will be accepted through Monday, April 11, at a cost of $60. Additional fees apply for bowling, golf and volleyball. There is no day-of registration.

Athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in age brackets based on five-year increments, beginning with ages 50-54.

According to the President?s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 85 percent of seniors in the United States do not exercise as much as they should. Other seniors have made staying in shape a social affair, using events like the Senior Games to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones. In recent years, more than 400 have competed in the games.

Competitions are held at the SU athletic fields and tennis courts, Maggs Gymnasium, Cherokee Lanes and Deer Run Golf Course. The Senior Games are sanctioned by the Maryland Senior Olympics Commission, Inc.

To register or for more information, contact Dr. Carol Wood at 410-548-3256 or cawood@salisbury.edu, or visit the Eastern Shore Senior Games Web site at www.salisbury.edu/seniorgames.

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Tags: Physical Activities