The This year’s World Cup has already reached beyond the planet and even reached… Space. The credit goes to the North American space agency, NASA, which took the official 2026 World Cup ball into Earth’s orbit.
“The official ball of the FIFA World Cup went to Space!”, announces NASA in a publication on X. “We are working to inspire the next generation by showing that Space exploration helps innovate the science of sport – and everyday life”, adds the agency.
In the publication, NASA also shares a video of four astronauts in orbit, where gravity does not exist. Between pirouettes and somersaults, the crew shows off their skills with the football, passing it between them, and even doing a bicycle kick.
You can see the images in our gallery above.
Between June 11th and 19th, NASA held an exhibition at the FIFA festival in Houston, Texas, “where visitors could discover how research aboard the International Space Station benefits life on Earth”, can be read on the space agency’s website.
However, the “link between NASA and the World Cup goes beyond the exhibition space, extending into orbit. NASA-derived technologies are innovations developed for space exploration that end up influencing commercial products and everyday life – even on the football field.” Among these innovations, NASA highlighted studies that helped to better understand the aerodynamics and physics involved in the flight of a soccer ball, which, for example, allowed sensors to be included in game balls that “can influence performance during a match.”
“Since 2022, Adidas has incorporated electronic components into the official balls used in the main tournaments. The sensors monitor speed, position and contact in real time, to support refereeing and transmission technology”, the agency also highlighted.
Source: www.noticiasaominuto.com.br
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