Expedition 14: Difference between revisions

During the spacewalk, Tyurin [[Golf_ball#Aerodynamics|hit a golf ball]] from the exterior of the [[Pirs (ISS module)|Pirs]] airlock.<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_eva_112206.html NASA.gov: EVA – ''Spacewalkers Tee Off on Science, Mechanics'']</ref> This "experiment" was sponsored by a Toronto -based commercial company, ''[[Element 21 (golf company)|Element 21]]'', which manufactures golf clubs made of [[scandium]]. The ball weighs just 3&nbsp;grams, compared with 48&nbsp;grams for a standard golf ball. At that weight, it was unlikely to damage any station components which might accidentally have been hit. There were three balls allowing two options for repeating the shot if required, but only one shot was actually taken. Taken with a one-handed grip by Tyurin (with López-Alegría stabilising Tyurin by holding his legs), the shot was a substantial slice, with the ball flying off to the right of the station instead of the rear. In 2006, there were plans for the video from the shot to be used in a TV commercial. The progress of the ball, which contains tracking equipment, could be followed on [http://www.issgolf.com/ E21's Track the Ball in Space] web site which was set up in 2006. Although, the site simply calculates an assumed distance of the ball based on a constant speed and does not perform any real tracking of the ball. The stunt was carried out around 35 years after [[Alan Shepard]] hit two golf balls on the moon during [[Apollo 14]].