http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090824-treadmill-colbert.htmlNASA is poised to launch a new treadmill named for comedian Stephen Colbert to the International Space Station on the shuttle Discovery on Tuesday and at least one astronaut has taken it for a test spin. But what's it like, running in space?
Astronaut Sunita Williams, who lived aboard the space station for almost seven months in 2007, ran a marathon in space during her trip, making her an expert of sorts on jogging in orbit.
"I tried a COLBERT mockup at Johnson Space Center," Williams has said, adding that the treadmill is broader than one on the station today. "So you don't have to watch out where your feet go. It allows a wider, more natural gait."
Still, it's a strange experience, one in which sweat floats and your feet might, too
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C.O.L.B.E.R.T. by any other name
Colbert's name on the new machine is a consolation prize to the host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" after his fans won a NASA poll to name the newest space station module earlier this year. Voters chose "Colbert" for the module, but NASA opted for the more staid moniker "Tranquility," reserving "Colbert" for the treadmill.
With bureaucratic flare, NASA managed to convert the name "Colbert" into a complex acronym: the device is officially titled the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill - C.O.L.B.E.R.T.
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