HOUSTON — A soccer ball is now in orbit 31 years after it was salvaged from the wreckage of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Astronaut Ellison Onizuka, who died in the explosion, brought the ball from his daughter’s soccer team with him aboard the shuttle.
Once recovered, the ball was returned to Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas.
Astronaut Shane Kimbrough's son now attends the school.
Before traveling to the International Space Station, Kimbrough asked permission to take the ball with him.
Jared Schmidt, the school’s current head soccer coach, said he was honored to say yes.
“I immediately broke down in tears,” he said. “It's almost indescribable.”
Kimbrough uploaded a photograph of the ball floating through space on Twitter last week.
He said he’ll eventually retrieve the ball and return it to the school.
“It’s both wonderful and really emotional at the same time,” Schmidt said.