What is the oldest object ever launched into space?
Technology media outlet Ars Technica is exploring what the oldest American-made object launched from Earth into space is.
What is the oldest American object ever launched into space? - Ars Technica
John Glenn , one of America's first astronauts in the Mercury program , returned to space in 1998 at the age of 77 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Among the items Glenn took into space were memorabilia from the early days of American history.
That is the 1993 reprint of the 'Manual of Parliamentary Practice,' written by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. This was selected based on Mr. Glenn's experience as a U.S. Senator, and the Senate Curators' Office explained, 'After consultations with staff from the Senate Curators' Office, the Senate Historical Office, and the Senate Library, Senator Glenn selected the 'Manual of Parliamentary Practice' as the official flight kit for STS -95.'
Furthermore, Glenn also carried the 13-star flag, which was used to identify George Washington on the battlefield, into space. The 13-star flag is a command flag that is said to have been inspired by details of the uniform worn by Commander Washington in 1777. It was apparently chosen by Glenn to be carried into space for the 200th anniversary of Washington's death. However, the original 13-star flag is housed in a museum, and because it is fragile, a replica was sent into space. Therefore, it is somewhat questionable as 'the oldest American-made object to go into space.'
In May 1869, the inauguration ceremony for the transcontinental railroad took place in Promontory Summit, then part of the Utah Territory. At the time of writing, this site is a National Historic Park, and a
A replica of the 17.6-karat metal stake used in the inauguration ceremony of this transcontinental railroad was also sent into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-38 in November 1990.
Furthermore, a copper pile that was part of the hull of the USS Constitution , a wooden ship built by the U.S. Navy in 1787, was carried into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1995 during a docking mission with the Russian space station Mir . This pile was selected as a commemorative item to be sent into space to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Constitution's commissioning.
Although this pile was removed from the Constitution in 1992, it was made in 1797. The pile traveled through space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis from June 27 to July 7, 1995.
For the purposes of this article, Ars Technica defined 'American-made objects' as various souvenirs made in the United States since the American Revolutionary War that were sent into space.
Even older objects have been transported into space, one example being a lead luggage tag issued in 1611 in Jamestown , the first permanent British colony in North America. This luggage tag was sent into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2007.
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