NASA Space Shuttle Embedded Pen Blanks – Columbia

NASA Space Shuttle Columbia Embedded Pen BlanksNASA Space Shuttle Columbia space-flown double embedded material blanks for Jr Series, Sierra Clone, and Shuttle Kit (Wood Turningz), and custom order tube size blanks available as singles or sets. All blanks will come with one COA per blank. COAs are 4" x 6" card stock with foil COA seal. Blank Tube Size Descriptions: Jr Series blanks are double tube set 12.5mm tubes and 10.5mm lower tubes Sierra Clone blanks are single 27/64" tubes Shuttle Kit blanks are for the Shuttle Kit from Wood Turningz single 10mm tube. Custom single Tube or Double Tube Sets available. (Two Week Delivery) Specify tube size needed in notes at check out. Space Shuttle Columbia materials:Hardin Penworks, LLC, certifies that material supplied to the artisan of the accompanying hand-crafted item was sourced from the Space Shuttle Columbia, NASA’s Orbiter Vehicle OV-102. The embedded lower black material was sourced from a nose gear tire flown on the Columbia during mission STS-28. This mission was the 4th mission dedicated to the Department of Defense and the 8th flight of Columbia. The embedded upper cloth was sourced from the payload bay liner flown on Columbia during the 10-day STS-109 mission. This mission was the 108th mission of the shuttle program, the 27th of the orbiter Columbia, the 4th servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, and the last successful mission of the Columbia before the ill-fated STS-107 mission disaster in Feb. 2003. During nearly 22 years of service, Columbia flew 28 missions, carried 207 crew members, orbited our Earth 4,808 times, traveled 125,204,911 miles, and spent 300 days, 17 hours, 40 minutes, and 22 seconds in space travel. Material Vision & Turning Notes:Columbia blanks showcase the deep black of a flown nose gear tire from STS-28 alongside the textured payload bay liner cloth from the historic STS-109 Hubble servicing mission. The combination delivers striking visual depth and tactile contrast that polishes to a stunning finish. These blanks respond well to sharp tools and light passes, making them ideal for Jr Series, Sierra, or custom shuttle-themed pens destined to spark stories of exploration and resilience. Finish Recommendation: For the ultimate mirror-like shine that highlights every detail of the space-flown materials, we recommend our Magic Juice Polishing Compound. Space Shuttle history:The Space Shuttle was the first operational orbital spacecraft designed for reuse. Each Shuttle was designed for a projected lifespan of 100 launches or ten years of operational life, although this was later extended. Each Space Shuttle was a reusable launch system composed of three main assemblies: the reusable orbital vehicle (OV), the expendable ET, and the two reusable solid rocket boosters (SRB). Only the OV entered orbit shortly after the tank and boosters are jettisoned. The vehicle was launched vertically like a conventional rocket, and the orbiter glided to a horizontal landing like an airplane, after which it was refurbished for reuse. The SRBs parachuted to splashdown in the ocean where they were towed back to shore and refurbished for later Shuttle missions. Five operational OVs were built: Columbia (OV-102), Challenger (OV-099), Discovery (OV-103), Atlantis (OV-104), and Endeavour (OV-105). A mock-up, Inspiration, currently stands at the entrance to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. An additional craft, Enterprise (OV-101), was built for atmospheric testing gliding and landing; it was originally intended to be outfitted for orbital operations after the test program, but it was found more economical to upgrade the structural test article STA-099 into orbiter Challenger (OV-099).