What's the oldest Americana flown in space?
Summary
In 1985, the space shuttle Discovery carried two small copper statues of the Statue of Liberty made from original copper removed during the real statue’s restoration. In 1998, astronaut and senator John Glenn took replicas of early American historical items, including a 13-star flag from 1777 and a reprint of Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 manual, into space.Key Facts
- Discovery’s 1985 flight carried two 15-inch copper replicas of the Statue of Liberty.
- The copper used in the small statues came from the original statue’s restoration materials dated 1875–1884.
- One statue went on display after the mission; the other was melted to make copper seals for public sale.
- Americana includes items linked to the US Revolutionary War and founding era (1776 onward).
- John Glenn flew into space in 1998 at age 77, making him the oldest astronaut at that time.
- Glenn took a reprint of Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 “Manual of Parliamentary Practice” on the shuttle.
- He also carried a replica of General George Washington’s 1777 Headquarters Flag, linked to revolutionary battlefields.
- Original artifacts are kept in museums; the space-flown items were replicas or made from original materials.
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