Pennies to heaven: NASA launches 2 cents to space station

image via Space.com

August 5, 2024, 6:00 PM

• •Two pennies launched to the International Space Station on Sunday (Aug. 4) for a STEM demonstration.
• •The pennies were packed by NASA's education office and will be used in a 'Screaming Balloon' experiment.
• •The two pennies are not the first to leave Earth, but are still a rare 'change' to what is typically launched.

Two pennies launched into space aboard a Cygnus cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station. The pennies will be used in a science experiment to compare the sound of a penny and a hex nut spinning inside a deflated balloon. The pennies are the first to be launched into space since 1972, when NASA banned crew members from flying with coins.

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