Soccer ball from Challenger Explosion

CA-35 · Feb 7, 2017

31 years ago, Col. Ellison Onizuka boarded the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle with a special gift; a soccer ball signed by members of the boys and girls soccer teams from Clear Lake High School in Houston. Somehow, the soccer ball managed to survive the explosion and was recovered with other debris in the ocean.

On Friday, exactly 31 years and one day after the January 28, 1986 explosion, astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who also has a child in Clear Lake High School, posted a photo of the soccer ball floating in space outside the window of the International Space Station. It took 31 years for the soccer ball to make it to space, and it was worth the wait.

xilef regnu · Feb 7, 2017

deleted

adorshki · Feb 7, 2017

CA-35 said:
On Friday, exactly 31 years and one day after the January 28, 1986 explosion, astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who also has a child in Clear Lake High School, posted a photo of the soccer ball floating in space outside the window of the International Space Station. It took 31 years for the soccer ball to make it to space, and it was worth the wait.

Completely serious question, no snark intended, but if it's outside the station, wouldn't the pressure differential cause it to explode?
Corollary question:
Even if the skin's tough enough to contain the inflation pressure, wouldn't its strength be compromised by either being frozen or overheated?
Was it really meant to be jettisoned into space in the first place?
I guess I'll have to go look it up.
Interesting post in any case!

chazmo · Feb 7, 2017

Al, pretty sure it's inside the station and CA misspoke.

That is VERY cool.

Quantum Strummer · Feb 7, 2017

I saw this pic via Twitter when @astro_kimbrough posted it. Very touching for anyone who remembers that day in 1986. I was watching the space shuttle liftoff, probably on CNN, in a break room at my then job. I remember wondering then if the shuttle had any sort of crew compartment eject mechanism that might've allowed the astronauts to survive the explosion. Sadly, no.

-Dave-

Quantum Strummer · Feb 7, 2017

adorshki said:
Completely serious question, no snark intended, but if it's outside the station, wouldn't the pressure differential cause it to explode?
Corollary question:
Even if the skin's tough enough to contain the inflation pressure, wouldn't its strength be compromised by either being frozen or overheated?
Was it really meant to be jettisoned into space in the first place?
I guess I'll have to go look it up.
Interesting post in any case!

The ball was/is inside the ISS cupola.

The inflation pressure isn't really that high compared to vacuum, so the ball would likely survive okay if it were outside, assuming it wouldn't be subject to huge temperature variances.

-Dave-

adorshki · Feb 7, 2017

Quantum Strummer said:
The ball was/is inside the ISS cupola. The inflation pressure isn't really that high compared to vacuum, so the ball would likely survive okay if it were outside, assuming it wouldn't be subject to huge temperature variances.
-Dave-

Thanks Dave, that even reminds me of the problem the Gemini/Apollo guys used to have to deal with: sun-facing side of capsule blazing hot, shadowed side freezing cold.
So first thing was to get some rotation going to even out the extremes.
Also was reminded of A.C. Clarke's assertion that humans could in fact survive in vacuum for limited period without "blowing up":
remember how Dave got back into the ship in 2001?
I remember that day in '86 too.
Working in the Heathkit store we had several TV's going, it just blindsided us "live without a buffer"..and we were all 4 in a kind of shocked denial, clinging to the most improbable hope while waiting for the final answer about survivors.

walrus · Feb 7, 2017

Very cool story and photo!

walrus

Quantum Strummer · Feb 7, 2017

adorshki said:
Also was reminded of A.C. Clarke's assertion that humans could in fact survive in vacuum for limited period without "blowing up":
remember how Dave got back into the ship in 2001?

Yep! In the "reboot" version of Battlestar Galactica (colossally superior to the original IMO) two of the show's characters take an unprotected "leap" through space and survive. For short durations like that one the (lack of) temperature would be more life-threatening than the vacuum.

Also, re. the soccer ball: astronauts often take mementos with them into orbit and then bring 'em back. No doubt that was the original intent with the ball. More recently Reid Wiseman took a toy giraffe belonging to one of his daughters to the ISS. The giraffe than appeared in numerous photos and video interviews.

-Dave-

sailingshoes72 · Feb 7, 2017

What a view the men and women on the ISS must have of Earth and the rest of the Solar System and Galaxy! I enjoyed the story and photo... thanks for posting. :saturn:

Bill

adorshki · Feb 7, 2017

sailingshoes72 said:
What a view the men and women on the ISS must have of Earth and the rest of the Solar System and Galaxy! I enjoyed the story and photo... thanks for posting. :saturn:
Bill

I used to love watching video from the shuttle missions on NASA TV.
Worth looking up if you're into that kind of thing:
https://www.directv.com/Channels/NASA-TV-352

CA-35 · Feb 7, 2017

chazmo said:
Al, pretty sure it's inside the station and CA misspoke.That is VERY cool.

Not only did I misspeak, I misread, I misunderstood, I mistyped too.

Of course it's on the inside, right in front of the window so it's a nice illusion. Silly me.

But yes a great story.

Soccer ball from Challenger Explosion

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