The history of the football that has traveled in space

In 2016, the only survivor of the disastrous Space Shuttle Challenger explosion filled its goal of reaching the space. This is nothing less than a football that Janelle Onizuka gave at the time to her father, astronaut Ellison Onizuka

C was January 28 1986 when, just 73 minutes after takeoff, the shuttle exploded before the astonished look of millions of Americans who saw the takeoff live. The entire crew died instantly, while the remains of the spaceship had to be salvaged from the Atlantic Ocean.

Of all the debris, the Coast Guard managed to recover the ball in good condition, which was autographed by the entire Onizuka team and which included the phrase "good luck, crew shuttle. "

The balloon returned to the school where Janelle studied, where she remained exposed ever since her story gradually faded from the spirit of the team and

C & # 39; At this point, the commander of the 50th expedition, Shane Kimbrough, spoke with the school director and decided to return the balloon to space as a souvenir.

Kimbrough shared a photo of the balloon with a window of the International Space Station in the background. In the social media publication, he said that he was honored to "bring this small piece of the Challenger's legacy back to the ISS."

"Remembering the Challenger Crew is important to all of us in the astronaut corps and everyone at NASA, and I hope the ball will come back to Clear Lake High. School, will be a reminder for future generations. "