V 2 N. 12 Comparing a Space Performance and Track and Field Performances

 

On April 15, 1970, fifty-six years ago, the record for distance travelled from earth by humans to outer space was set by the Apollo 13 mission. That distance was 248, 655 miles.  Yesterday that record was beaten by Artemis II with a 4,105 mile improvement to 252,760 miles.  That is a 1.65% improvement over the old record.  This 1.65% gain is getting incredible publicity at the moment.

Since this is a track and field blog, I thought I would look at and compare  some track and field record improvements over the same time period. 

On those same dates  the records for several track and field events and their improvements are seen below.  Interestingly women’s performance increases have exceeded men’s in all events.   Hardly any women were pole vaulting in 1970, so that makes that improvement somewhat less significant, but in all else, I think women have beaten men in increased performance. A more extensive enquiry would also need to be made regarding the dates when improvements were made and how much detection of illicit drug enhancement was available.  This is just a sketchy look at those factors. Some will say this is comparing apples and oranges, perhaps they are right.

Thanks to Bruce Kritzler for catching my errors (now corrected in men's 200 and discus.  GB

                          Record on             Holder                                 Record on        Holder               Date Set       % gain

                             April 15, 1970                                                                                                    March 6, 2026

Miles from Earth     248,655               Apollo 13                                252,760         Artemis II                                       1.65%

                                    

Mile run (M)           3:54.4              Peter Snell       1/27/1962            3:43.13      Hichem el Gerrouj       7/7/1999           4.85%

Mile run (W)          4;36.8               Gommers         6/14/69               4:07.64       Kipyegon                           2023           10.53%

800m (M)                1:44.4              Doubell            10/15/68             1:40.91        Rudisha                              2012          3.34%

800 (W)                   2:05.3              Wieck                3/9/69                1:53.28        Kratchvilova                     1983           9,59%

200 (M)                   19.83                 Smith                1968                  19.19          Bolt                                   2009           3.23%

200 (W)                   22.21                Kirszenstein      1970                   21.34         Griffith-Joyner                   1988           3.92%

100 (M)                   9.95        Hines, Smith, Greene  1968                    9.58            Bolt                                   2009          3.72%

100 (W)                  11.08                  Stecher              1972                    10.49        Griffith-Joyner                    1988         5.32%

PV (M)                    5.41                   Seagren             9/12/68                  6.31         Duplantis                           3/12/25      16.63%

PV (W)                   2.59                    Walker              1/8/69                    5.06          Isinbayeva                          2009         95.4%

Disc (M)                68.40                  Silvester             1968                     75.51        Alekna                              1986            18.06

Disc (W)                63.96                  Westerman         9/27/69                 76.86         Reinsch                            1988           20.2%

While advances in track and field can be attributed to better training methods,  drug enhancements, and equipment supported by scientific research,   the space travel enhancement is due primarily to tech innovations but very little to improvement in human performance and  physiology.   

 

Tommie Smith 19.83 altitude 

Below are listings from Wikipedia on improvements in technology made by NASA.

 

Technological advances for Artemis II since Apollo 13

The Artemis II mission has seen significant technological advancements since Apollo 13, particularly in the areas of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. These advancements include:

SLS: The SLS has been upgraded to support the Artemis II mission, offering more payload mass, volume, and departure energy than any other single rocket. It is designed to send Orion, astronauts, and cargo directly to the Moon in a single launch, which is crucial for deep space exploration.

 

Orion: The Orion spacecraft has been improved to be capable of sending astronauts to the Moon and is a crucial step toward eventually sending crews on to Mars. It is designed to serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry and sustain the crew on Artemis missions to the Moon and return them safely to Earth.

 European Service Module: The European Service Module, developed by European industry and led by Airbus, supplies propulsion, electrical power, thermal control, and life-support essentials for the astronauts, making it crucial for Orion’s performance and the safety of the crew.

These advancements have been crucial in preparing for the Artemis II mission, which is set to be the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. The mission aims to validate the systems, procedures, and technologies needed to safely send humans farther out into space, bridging the gap between uncrewed tests and future human landings.