Do you interact with things that have been in space?

[NSEP]

This is a little thread about things that have been to space. How much interaction do you people have with things that are going/have been to space?

[Bill Phil]

Well I live around Huntsville Alabama so I live near the US Space and Rocket Center which has numerous things that went to space or are from space.

It’s got Skylab debris, an Apollo capsule, had a moon rock, and assorted other things. I also saw a piece of fabric in MSFC that flew on the Shuttle.

[KSK]

Depends what you mean by interact and whether you count museum exhibits but:

• Met Chris Hadfield in person and have the photo to prove it. To this day, I remain proud of my iron self control in not squeeing or falling over my own feet.
• Have attended talks by other astronauts, most notably Tim Peake.
• Spent a very happy day at the Smithsonian air and space museum. No shortage of good space stuff there. Man, that was a total kid-in-a-candy-store day. 
• Went to this exhibition and saw a lot of old Soviet equipment, engineering mockups etc. And what else would a card-carrying Space Nerd wear to an exhibit of Soviet space hardware than his Gagarin t-shirt? Which proved to be good for striking up very interesting conversations with the museum staff.
   

[cubinator]

Things I have:

At home, I have tiny, tiny pieces of the Apollo 11 CM, the first Space Shuttle, I think Mir and Skylab(?) as part of "Mini Museums" - acrylic boxes encasing little artifacts of history. I have a few meteorites that were purchased from some oddity shop.

Things I've seen:

Actual stuff in space like the usual natural objects, and satellites in orbit and the ISS (and the latest Dragon!). I've seen the retired shuttle Discovery, that comet sample return vessel, spacesuits that have been to space and to the Moon, met a couple of astronauts over the years, and seen rocks from the Moon and Mars from meteorites and Apollo returns. 

Things I've sent:

None yet! But that might change in three years or so.

Also I was in space five billion years ago. I was also not really alive at the time.

[razark]

Somewhere, I've got a couple (Or four.  I know where two of them are.) medallions that were made with space-flown metal.

I've seen numerous spacecraft in museums.  Likewise for some surface samples from the moon, including touchable ones.  Our building used to have the hatch from MA-9 in the first-floor lobby.  They had the first Dragon capsule in our parking lot one day, and I got to poke it.  I've seen some of the debris from STS-107, when they were touring it around to the various centers.  I've seen one shuttle stack being rolled out to the pad.  Many times I've seen the orbiters as they were ferried on the SCA.  (They used to call a fire drill in elementary school every time there was a flyby.)  I've met numerous astronauts, most of them without my knowing.  My father has quite a few items at home, including flags, medallions, a piece of the red stripe from a commander's space suit, heat shield tiles, part of one of the antennas he designed, etc.  Most of them made into awards/mounted on plaques.  It didn't make it to space, but he's got half of an SRB hold-down nut mounted on a plaque as an award.

I've also managed to spot ISS, Mir, and several shuttles in orbit, if you want to count that.

Edited January 20, 2019 by razark

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

I have bolts from the Antares rocket that exploded

[qzgy]

I personally have been to the Smithsonian Air and space so theres some stuff there. Also have a piece of meteorite.

[YNM]

The only things I've received from space is the generous dose of visible-light radiation that has lighted up my day and amused my nights.

[Roartal]

Well, there is certainly room for improvement on my side. The only item from space I have in my possesion is a small meteorite (which, upon closer examination, almost looks like a miniature version of ʻOumuamua), I didn't even have the chance to see actual manmade things that have been exposed to vacuum yet, I reckon that's something I should add to my todo-list... 

[XB-70A]

She's 45 minutes away from the place I'm living!

(I'm almost dropping a tear every time the curtain rises and Atlantis appears to us)

 

Kitty Hawk is also standing there...

 

 

As well as some samples:

 

 

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Also, one of my relatives used to work for the CNES, and he got a small collection of debris and pieces he collected during many years at the CSG (some of them are from VA-501).  

Edited January 20, 2019 by XB-70A

[benzman]

Every time you watch the television news or a weather report you are interacting with space.{satellites}  On a personal level, I once briefly met and shook hands with Buzz Aldrin.

 

[YNM]

10 hours ago, benzman said:

{satellites}

It'd be other things that interact with them, not us by itself. It's indirect.

[Delay]

Does seeing the ISS 14 or so times count?

[lajoswinkler]

On 1/21/2019 at 8:53 PM, Delay said:

Does seeing the ISS 14 or so times count?

No. That still is in space. 

 

On topic, I have a big, drop-shaped indokinite. It's been in space a long time ago, for a short while. It kind of looks like a turd. A space turd.

[YNM]

On 1/22/2019 at 2:53 AM, Delay said:

Does seeing the ISS 14 or so times count?

Yes, you're receiving the photons that has been reflected off ISS or noticed a lack of photons (occultation) that is caused by the ISS.

[Shpaget]

I am made of stardust.

Otherwise, no.

[Superfluous J]

Been to "Houston" a couple times and the Smithsonian a few more times than that. Never seen any thing/person "in the wild" though. Just museums.

[DDE]

On 1/20/2019 at 9:59 PM, XB-70A said:

She's 45 minutes away from the place I'm living!



(I'm almost dropping a tear every time the curtain rises and Atlantis appears to us)

 

Kitty Hawk is also standing there...

Yep. Ample time was dedicated to lovingly documenting every space-worn inch and every exposed mechanism of those bad girls...

Add to this the two primary Moscow museums, and a corporate pep talk from Sergei Ryazanskyi, and I’ve got plenty to brag about.

Still trailing behind my father in the number of Leonov and Dzhanibekov meetings 

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I've seen everything on the list except for real science experiments. I've seen an astronaut (at a book signing) but I haven't talked to one, and I'm not sure whether they had flown in space or not. I also have touched two moon rocks, and a martian meteorite.

Oh, and I have one of those medallions made with a few shavings of metal flown in space.

[tater]

I've met and interacted with (in some cases for hours, total) a bunch of astronauts... 3 Apollo, and at least 6 Shuttle.

Other stuff was things from museums, etc (samples, capsules, meteorites, etc).

[sh1pman]

Saw a Soyuz capsule and the man who flew in it.

On 1/25/2019 at 4:51 PM, DDE said:

Add to this the two primary Moscow museums, and a corporate pep talk from Sergei Ryazanskyi, and I’ve got plenty to brag about.

I saw him twice, once in person (he was hosting a teleconference with ISS held at my university), and next time, via another teleconference one year later, when he was on a mission on ISS. Never got to ask a question, though.

Edited January 26, 2019 by sh1pman

[Barzon]

At the National Space Centre in Leicester, England, they had some stuff from Tim Peake's mission. They also have unflown Thor Able and Blue Streak rockets. Its a really cool place! The Beagle 2 failing Mars mission was controlled there, and the University of Leicester, which helps run it, made an instrument for the Parker Solar Probe!

It also has the oldest Soyuz on display in the West, is a 7K-OK. The descent and service modules were made to go to space but obviously didn't. More information about the Soyuz.

Edited January 26, 2019 by Barzon Kerman

[StrandedonEarth]

I've seen and/or touched what there is to see or touch at the California Science Center in "The City of Angels."

[XB-70A]

1 hour ago, StrandedonEarth said:

 

Wow! I didn't know the original ASTP CSM-111 module was kept and displayed (the NASM is displaying a mock-up of the two craft IIRC).

(This shirt tho)

[StrandedonEarth]

12 minutes ago, XB-70A said:

(This shirt tho)

My T-shirts were carefully selected on that trip