Super Bowl XLIV Coin From Outer Space

January 28, 2010 — The official coin toss prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV on February 7 won’t be with just any coin. The coin, or rather, medallion, was specially minted and spent time on the International Space Station. The crew of the space shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission delivered the silver medallion to National Football League officials Wednesday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The coin toss has been a part of professional football since its start in 1892.  Shuttle Commander Charlie Hobaugh, a graduate of North Ridgeville High School near Cleveland, Pilot Barry Wilmore, Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, who was drafted by the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 1986, Randy Bresnik, Bobby Satcher and Mike Foreman returned from their 11-day space mission to the orbiting space station on November 27. The crew also presented Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys jerseys and a football, inscribed with the name of every member of the Hall of Fame, which accompanied the crew on their 4.5 million mile space journey last fall. The STS-129 shuttle mission included three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the station's truss, or backbone. The platforms hold large spare parts to sustain operations after the shuttles are retired. The crew delivered approximately 30,000 pounds of replacement parts for systems that provide power to the station, keep it from overheating, and maintain a proper orientation in space.

Members of the STS-129 shuttle mission presented a specially minted silver medallion to National Football League officials on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From left are astronauts Bobby Satcher, Randy Bresnik, and Charlie Hobaugh; Joe Horrigan, Vice President of Communications/Exhibits for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Steve Perry, President/Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; astronauts Berry Wilmore, Michael Foreman and Leland Melvin. Photo Credit: NASA/Marv Smith

• 2012 - 02/22 - Borschberg Begins Simulated 72-Hour Solar Flight
• 2012 - 02/20 - NASA Celebrates 50 Years of Americans in Space
• 2012 - 02/16 - Tiny Robots Swarm Fly in Formation
• 2012 - 02/16 - Civil War Balloon Replica to Take Flight This Summer
• 2012 - 02/09 - Application Deadline Approaches for EAA Scholarship