What's the oldest Americana flown in space?
Several American historical artifacts, including a replica of George Washington's flag and Thomas Jefferson's manual, have traveled to space. The oldest is believed to be a copper spike from the USS Constitution dating to 1797.
Various pieces of Americana have made their way into space, spanning from the Revolutionary era to the transcontinental railroad.
In 1998, astronaut John Glenn flew a replica of General George Washington's 1777 Headquarters Flag aboard the space shuttle Discovery, along with a reproduction of Thomas Jefferson's 1801 Senate manual. The originals are too fragile for spaceflight.
From November 2014 to June 2015, a 15-star flag replica (inspired by the Fort McHenry flag that inspired the US national anthem) was aboard the International Space Station, provided by Fort McHenry to NASA astronaut Terry Virts.
A replica of the 1869 Golden Spike was launched on Atlantis during STS-38. However, the oldest Americana artifact in space is a copper spike from the USS Constitution, an original hull component from 1797. It flew on Atlantis during STS-71 in 1995, the first shuttle docking with Russia's Mir station.
Another Constitution piece—a wood fragment of similar age—was launched into orbit with the Hubble Space Telescope on STS-31.
