Astronauts Shave Their Heads Bald After U.S. Loses FIFA Match To Germany

Lose a soccer game and lose your hair. That’s apparently the deal that American astronauts made on the International Space Station last week, as commander Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman both were shaved bald after the U.S. lost to Germany 1-0 June 26 in the FIFA World Cup. Gleefully wielding the shaver was Alexander Gerst, who happens to be from Germany.

Despite their busy science schedule, the astronauts have been enthusiastically following (and tweeting about!) the games. Not to mention they did a couple of improvised soccer matches in zero gravity, complete with awesome celebratory dances. You can check out all the video action below.

Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell is the senior writer at Universe Today. She also works for Space.com, Space Exploration Network, the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Astrobiology Magazine and LiveScience, among others. Career highlights include watching three shuttle launches, and going on a two-week simulated Mars expedition in rural Utah. You can follow her on Twitter @howellspace or contact her at her website.

Recent Posts

Congressional Hearing Fuels Fresh Debate About UFOs

An 11-page document that's attributed to a Pentagon whistleblower has provided new cases in the…

2 hours ago

New Study Examines How Extraterrestrial Civilizations Could Become “Stellarvores.”

One of the most challenging aspects of astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)…

3 hours ago

A Screw-Driven Robot Could Autonomously Mine Rocky Worlds

Navigating the harsh terrain of other rocky worlds has consistently been challenging. The Free Spirit…

5 hours ago

How Life Could Live Under the Ice on Mars

Mars has been a fascination to us for centuries. Early observations falsely gave impressions of…

6 hours ago

NASA’s JPL Lays Off Another 325 People

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab has announced a second round of layoffs for 2024, this time…

8 hours ago

Lessons From Ancient Earth’s Atmosphere: From Hostile to Hospitable

Will we ever understand how life got started on Earth? We've learned much about Earth's…

9 hours ago