American astronauts aren't like your friends, who after a lost bet don't pony up for months -- ignoring countless reminder e-mails and voice messages. No, American astronauts are punctual and true to their word.
Less than 24 hours after losing a friendly bet to their German companion aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Steve Swanson shaved their heads as promised.
Their now hairless scalps are penance for their allegiance to the losing team in yesterday's World Cup match between the United States and Germany. The match ended with Die Adler (German for "The Eagles") victorious, 1-0. The bare heads are bittersweet, however, as the performance was good enough to see the U.S. through to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Had Deutschland lost, German astronaut Alexander Gerst would have had America's stars and bars painted atop his already bald head.
Wiseman, Swanson, and Gerst will again be glued to the space station television next week, as Germany takes on Algeria and the Americans face Belgium.