---
title: "Challenger Shuttle Ball Travels from School to ISS"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/challenger-shuttle-ball-journey-iss-cvlc9
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
section: Science & Technology
published: 2026-08-14T20:30:38.488Z
modified: 2026-08-14T23:00:03.305Z
language: en-IN
---

# Challenger Shuttle Ball Travels from School to ISS

A signed soccer ball from Clear Lake High School, intended for the Challenger crew in 1986, later traveled to the International Space Station. The artifact connects past space tragedies with ongoing space exploration.

## Key takeaways

- A signed soccer ball from Clear Lake High School was intended for the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger crew.
- The ball was recovered after the Challenger disaster and returned to the school.
- ISS astronaut Col. Shane Kimbrough took the ball to the International Space Station in 2016.
- The artifact serves as a tangible link between the Challenger tragedy and ongoing space missions.

## What Happened

A worn training soccer ball, signed by students at Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas, has a unique history tied to space exploration. Originally signed in early 1986 as a good luck charm for the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger mission, the ball was taken into space. Following the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986, the ball was recovered along with other personal items and returned to the school. It remained on display for decades.

Approximately thirty years after the Challenger mission, the same soccer ball was taken to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 19, 2016, by astronaut Col. Shane Kimbrough. The ball returned to Earth on November 3, 2017, and is now displayed at the school with updated mission dates.

## Key Facts

- A soccer ball signed by students at Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas, carries signatures for the Space Shuttle Challenger mission of January 28, 1986.
- The ball was taken into space as a good luck item for the Challenger crew.
- After the Challenger disaster, the ball was recovered and returned to the school.
- On October 19, 2016, ISS astronaut Col. Shane Kimbrough took the soccer ball to the International Space Station.
- The ball returned from the ISS on November 3, 2017.

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/challenger-shuttle-ball-journey-iss-cvlc9
Reported from: Multiple Sources