Undoubtedly the main talking point of the Beijing Olympics has thus far been the almost superhuman performance of American swimmer Michael Phelps, winning a record-breaking eight gold medals in the pool to become the greatest ever Olympian.
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps helped develop the swimsuit that used materials tested at NASA Langley. Credit:Speedo
Most sports fans know how Mark Spitz's previous record of seven golds was smashed by Phelps this week and that world records have been tumbling in the pool, however less well-known is the role U.S. space agency NASA played in these victories.
Phelps, and many other swimmers from around the world, are using a skintight material called LZR Racer, made by the swimsuit company Speedo , which was developed with the aid of aerospace engineer Steve Wilkinson from NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.
"I'm paying very close attention to the swimmers' times," said Wilkinson in a NASA news release. "I'm amazed that so many athletes are wearing a fabric I tested in a laboratory in Hampton, Virginia."
Researcher Wilkinson has tested dozens of swimsuit fabrics in NASA Langley's 7-inch by 11-Inch Low Speed Wind Tunnel.
"This is a fundamental research facility," said Wilkinson. "What we look at are concepts for reducing drag on otherwise smooth surfaces. This is more directed toward fundamental physics... the interactions between the flow and the surface."
Speedo originally approached NASA to test swimming fabric samples using the space agency's skills in assessing drag reduction for aircraft.
Just as reducing drag helps planes fly more efficiently, it also enables swimmers to go faster, said the news release. Studies indicate viscous drag or skin friction is almost one-third of the total restraining force on a swimmer. Researchers used wind tunnel tests to measure the drag on the surface of the fabrics.
"The fabric comes in the form of fabric tubes, a small diameter fabric tube," Wilkinson added. "We pull that over our smooth flat model, which is an aluminum plate underneath. We prepare the edges so they're straight and square with no protruding corners or edges to interfere with the drag on the surface."
While discussion continues as to whether the space-age suits played a part in the overall speed of Beijing's swimmers, Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, said they "certainly contributed."
"They had an impact," Bowman said on Sunday. "I think it's hard to tell because this pool is bullet fast. I don't think you can say the suits made everyone faster [but] they certainly contributed."
Gold x8Aug 18th, 2008 - 00:08:07
I'm glad to know that this NASA tested suit is available to all the other racers. Sporting equipment will only get better over time. There will be a day when the swimsuit will have almost zero drag. Anyhways, good job to Phelps!
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