Mannequin Challenge jumps the shark in zero-G, courtesy of space station crew

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Mannequin Challenge in orbit
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky stays immobile as he floats in a Superman pose for an out-of-this-world Mannequin Challenge. (ESA via Twitter / Thomas Pesquet)

Standing still for a Mannequin Challenge video is a faddish feat, but floating still in zero-G raises the degree of difficulty to the level of a true challenge. And the crew of the International Space Station proves they’re up to the task.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet served as the film director for the video, which went viral on social media soon after its release on Thursday. On Facebook, Pesquet explained that the video was shot during the six-member crew’s Sunday time off.

Most of the crew members were able to anchor themselves along the walls of the space station’s modules with their feet, but Russia’s Oleg Novitsky (posing as Superman) and NASA’s Peggy Whitson (with the camera) looked as if they had the hardest jobs – that is, staying in one place while floating in midair.

“The result is kind of sci-fi spooky, don’t you think?” Pesquet wrote.

One of Pesquet’s fans on Twitter, @FlacoU2P, kicked it up a notch by adding the traditional soundtrack for a Mannequin Challenge, a clip from the song “Black Beatles.” Flaco ribbed Pesquet in French, saying, “It’s better with music … you don’t have Premiere Pro in space?”

Rae Sremmurd, the hip hop musicians who recorded “Black Beatles,” got in on the fun. “This is so crazy,” they tweeted.

The zero-G Mannequin Challenge has to rank right up there with last month’s White House versions of the stunt. One was done while the Cleveland Cavaliers paid a visit, while the other took place in connection with the Presidential Medal of Freedom awards. See if you can spot Bill Gates. (Hint: He’s not on the Cavaliers.)

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