Golf Balls Fly Through Space

Golf history was made when a Russian astronaut hit a golf ball through Earth's orbit.

Golf record

One small step for man is one giant leap for golfers as a cosmonaut a hit golf ball in space. It was planned months in advance. Russian cosmonauts decided they wanted to attempt a golf record and hit a golf ball into Earth's orbit, and on the 23 November 2006 they did just that, making golfing history.

Golf balls in space

Where no golf balls have ever gone before space. It's pretty much guaranteed that's one golf ball they won't retrieve and who knows if any passing aliens come across the object what they will make of it? It is expected the golf ball, hit by Russian astronaut and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin, will travel millions of miles during its orbit. Tyurin hit the golf ball after standing on a ladder by the docking port of the International Space Station during a spacewalk.

Golf ball's trajectory

The balls trajectory through space will set a golf record for the longest drive ever made. The ball was hit with gold-plated golf clubs made of the same scandium alloy used to build the space station and is expected to orbit Earth for four years. The golf ball's trajectory of millions of miles will be tracked using global positioning transmitters as it loses altitude through atmospheric drag. Finally it will heat up and melt away when it re-emerges into the atmosphere.

Risks

Hitting golf balls in space is not without risk. Some experts were concerned the stunt could have been catastrophic, and were not sure if it was worth the risks the golf ball stunt was sponsored by a Canadian golf equipment company. The risk was the golf ball could have fallen back into the station or collided with it later. Orbital debris experts told the New Scientist magazine before the stunt that the worst case scenario would be the golf ball hitting the station side-on. They said it could be like a head-on collision with a speed of 5.8 miles per second equivalent to a six tonne truck going at 60 miles per hour.

Space suit challenge

The key to the success of the golf balls flight was the correct angle and direction of the astronaut's drive. Every golfer knows at the best of times, hitting a golf ball can be trickier than it looks, and wearing a space suit certainly adds to the challenge.

Golf on Mars

It's a lot for the sake of hitting a ball with a stick, but golf is a massive sport on Earth, and played and loved by millions perhaps if there is life on Mars, they'd appreciate a few golf balls kicking around.

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