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Christer's Official Flight Kit
Each astronaut is allowed to take a limited collection of symbolic items and memorabilia on a flight with the Space Shuttle. The contents of Christer Fuglesang's Official Flight Kit, or OFK for short, includes symbolic items that originate from various institutions and organisations. Each object will be returned to the owners after the mission, together with a certificate stating that the object has been in space.
Fuglesang's OFK includes the following symbolic items and memorabilia:
The Wargentin medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Academy has a distinguished history for, among other things, choosing Nobel laureates in physics and chemistry. This commemorative coin, which became the Wargentin medal was minted in 1783 on the death of Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, astronomer and permanent secretary of the Academy from 1743 - 1783.
The Polhem Medal of the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers
The Association emphasises the important role of engineers in different ways. One of these ways is by awarding the prestigious Polhem Prize every second year, established in memory of Sweden's great inventor, Christopher Polhem (1661–1751). The gold medal being flown will be awarded in 2011 to commemorate 350 years since Polhem’s birth.
The medal for the Nobel Peace Prize (replica) for Norsk Romsenter
A replica of the Nobel Peace Prize will be flown for Norsk Romsenter, the Norwegian Space Board. The medal is an overwhelming symbol of peace, with the winner nominated by the Norwegian Parliament, the Stortinget’ each year.
Life jacket for the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS)
The Swedish Sea Rescue Society (Svenska Sällskapet för Räddning af Skeppsbrutna) is a non-profit volunteer organisation, dedicated to sea rescue that has existed since 1907. The life jacket that they supplied belongs to a teddy bear, which is a mascot given to children during sea rescue missions.
Chess piece for the Swedish Chess Academy
Fuglesang was recently elected to the Swedish Chess Academy. During his mission they will help him play a game of chess over the internet against all interested players. Chess has been one Fuglesang's favourite games ever since his dad taught him how to play as a young boy. He now regularly plays with his son, Rutger.
Silver spoon for the Sami Parliament of Sweden
The Sami culture is a unique part of Swedish heritage. Ever since the middle ages the Sami has used silver, as the metal was considered durable and valuable. Silver spoons that borrowed their shape from spoons made of horn were very sought after objects.
The first Swedish rocket was launched from a site close to the Sami village of Nausta in 1961, and these days both rockets and balloons are launched from Esrange close to the town of Kiruna in Lapland. A close relationship has developed between the Swedish Space Corporation that runs the operations and the Sami, to cope with practicalities.
Neutralino soft toy for CERN
The neutralino is a hypothetical particle that is predicted to explain the supersymmetry theory in fundamental physics and a prime candidate to explain so-called dark matter. This autumn CERN's new proton accelerator will finally produce collisions at record energies, and may find evidence that the neutralino really exists, and to determine it's mass. Fuglesang worked for CERN before joining the European Astronaut Corps.
Other symbolic items Fuglesang will be taking include a flag from Fuglesang’s favourite football team Djurgårdens IF; a Swedish Olympic Committee standard; a Royal Opera pennant; a map of Gothenburg for the Science festival; a Dalecarlia horse, a tourist symbol of Sweden and a mini frisbee from Fuglesang’s own personal collection.
Last update: 8 August 2009
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