Ever wonder what the oldest American object launched into space is? The answer might surprise you. It’s not a flag. It’s not a coin. It’s a copper spike from the USS Constitution — “Old Ironsides” — dating back to 1797.
That spike was an original component of the ship’s hull. It flew aboard the space shuttle Atlantis during STS-71 in 1995 — the first shuttle mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir. The plaque reads: “In honor of the 200th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Constitution.”
But there are other contenders. A 13-star flag carried by John Glenn on Discovery in 1998 was a replica of General George Washington’s 1777 Headquarters Flag. Glenn also brought a copy of Thomas Jefferson’s 1801 Senate manual — but both were reproductions. The originals were too fragile to risk.
A replica of the 1869 Golden Spike — the one that completed the Transcontinental Railroad — flew on Atlantis with STS-38. And a 15-star flag from Fort McHenry (the one that inspired the Star-Spangled Banner) rode to the ISS in 2014.
But that copper spike from 1797? That’s the real deal. An original artifact, older than the United States itself in some ways. It’s been to space and back.
