Super Bowl In Space
Super Bowl XLVIII will be viewed from space as NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio plan on watching the big game aboard the International Space station. Reuters

Super Bowl XLVIII is more than an international event -- its popularity even reaches the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins are big fans of the game and will be watching the Super Bowl from space.

Mastracchio conducted an interview with Space.com and discussed the upcoming Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. Although Mastracchio’s favorite team is not playing he did say he was rooting for the Broncos and in particular Peyton Manning. “I think I’m leaning towards the Denver Broncos. I don’t feel strongly about either team but it’d be great to see Peyton Manning win another Super Bowl.”

Hailing from Waterbury, Conn., Mastracchio said he is a big New York Giants fan and would have loved to see the team make it to a third Super Bowl in seven years. Super Bowl XLVIII is being held at MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants.

The Space.com interview included a discussion about the Olympics, expect some betting between the Russian, Canadian and American astronauts, but the focus was on the Super Bowl and Hopkins weighed in on the game. The interviewer, Miriam Kramer, described Hopkins as a big football fan and asked who he was rooting for. Hopkins played defensive back for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was the Fighting Illini’s captain in 1991. “I just heard Mike yell out ‘Broncos,’ so I guess we’re rooting for the same team. Mike’s a big college football fan, he watches and tracks it, while I’m more of a professional football fan.”

Mastracchio will miss out on his favorite Super Bowl tradition, sitting in his chair in his living room, but is “looking forward to watching a great game.” While the astronauts will not be able to watch the Super Bowl live on Feb. 2, Mastracchio hopes NASA will uplink the game on Monday but will have to be “careful so no one tells us the score.”

The full interview with Mastracchio, courtesy of NASA, can be viewed below.

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