NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Space and sports meet

NASA astronauts are now in the midst of a multi-city tour of Major League Baseball cities to continue the message and mission of the STS-107 Columbia crew that is being honored by the Houston Astros throughout their 2003 Season. The Astros are honoring NASA and the Space Shuttle Columbia crew during the entire 2003 season by wearing the Columbia STS-107 mission patch on the team's uniform.

In the spirit of carrying out this honor as well as the mission of the STS-107 crew, NASA Astronauts are visiting some of cities the Astros are playing in this season to honor the STS-107 crew and continue the crew's mission of telling the world about the importance of space research, development and exploration. In the image above, Astro's Craig Biggio (far left) and Mets' John Franco (far right) put aside their competitive differences to pose for the camera with Astronauts Mike Massimino and Mark Polansky.

Ball clubs supporting this tour thus far are the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition, the astronauts are talking with local media in each city to tell the story of space exploration to the people in each community.

Massimino winds up

Astronauts Mike Massimino and Mark Polansky threw out the first pitch of this tour in honor of their fellow astronauts at the New York Mets game against the Astros on April 24. The tour was also kicked off with a press conference that included the Astros' Craig Biggio, the Mets' John Franco, Massimino, Polansky and Bill Readdy, NASA's Associate Administrator, Office of Space Flight.

"It was such a tremendous honor for NASA and the families of the Columbia crewmembers to be part of the Astros 2003 season, that we felt it was important to continue telling our story and carrying on the mission of the crew. Their lives were dedicated to space exploration and the significant research and discoveries that can be achieved in space. We want people to be more aware of the significant scientific, pharmaceutical and medical developments that have evolved from space-based research," said Readdy.

Polansky throws a curve

The connection between the Astros and the space program dates back to the 1960s, when the then-Colt .45s changed their name to the Astros and began playing in the Astrodome. Since then, the Astros and NASA have maintained an ongoing relationship by participating together in major milestone events in the Houston area.

"The astronauts on this mission are true American heroes, and we are deeply grateful to be afforded the opportunity to pay tribute to these incredible people," said Astros owner Drayton McLane. "The name Astros reflects the courage and determination of those involved with our space program, and we are proud of our association."

"I'm glad we dedicated our season to the astronauts," Astros pitcher Octavio Dotel said. "They deserve that and more. NASA provides tremendous value to the country, and we need to show support. We had a sad tragedy in this case, but the missions should continue."


NASA Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas USA