Nov 22 2006
From The Space Library
To raise money for the Russian space program, ISS crew member Mikhail V. Tyurin drove a golf ball off the ISS during a spacewalk, an event that comprised a small, but highly publicized, part of the 5.5-hour spacewalk. Tyurin and American astronaut Michael E. Lopez-Alegria spent most of the spacewalk conducting serious tasks, such as installing a proton detector to monitor solar eruptions. NASA beamed imagery of the event to Mission Control, showing Tyurin using a 6- iron to drive a lightweight replica of a golf ball off a special spring-loaded tee. Element 21 Golf Company of Toronto, Canada, had paid the Russian federal space agency Roskosmos an undisclosed fee for the golf outing, and NASA had approved it after determining that the ball posed no threat to the ISS. NASA expected the ball to enter Earth’s orbit and to incinerate in the upper atmosphere within a few days.
Mark Carreau, “After Sending Golf Ball into Space, It’s Down To Business,” Houston Chronicle, 23 November 2006; Stefano S. Coledan, “From Outer Space, a Cry of Fore!” New York Times, 23 November 2006.
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