The 17th-century metal worker who prepared a tag to mark
cargo heading for the New World could have never imagined that his
craftsmanship would eventually be leaving the planet.
Upon completion of its journey however, his small metal
marker etched with the name of its destination, "Yames Towne" will
have logged more than four million miles over four centuries, traveling from
England to the early American settlement and then, 400 years later, on a round
trip to the International
Space Station (ISS) [image].
NASA is flying the
tag, along with four commemorative coins to honor early American explorers.
They will be onboard space
shuttle Atlantis during mission
STS-117, targeted for launch
in March [image].
The metal cargo tag was unearthed this past summer at
Jamestown, the location of the first permanent English settlement in the
Americas in 1607. The colonial version of a modern-day luggage tag, the plaque
was probably marking some merchandise that had been warehoused in London before
being shipped, according to the Historic Jamestowne website.
"The odd 'Y' spelling may suggest a German or Dutch
origin for the goods as those languages represented 'j's with 'y's during this
time period," the site reports.
It was found at the bottom of a well at the site of James
Fort on Jamestown Island. The tag, attached to a crate or trunk, most likely
arrived from England around 1611.
"This artifact clearly marks Jamestown as a destination
-- our nation's first 'address.' It demonstrates the development of trade
patterns crucial to the survival of the colony," said William Kelso with
the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.
Kelso leads the Jamestown Rediscovery Project that has
unearthed more than one million artifacts at the site.
Two sets of Jamestown-themed coins, authorized by Congress
and recently issued by the U.S. Mint, also will fly aboard Atlantis.
The tag and coins were presented to NASA Langley Research
Center Director Lesa Roe by Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra at
AeroSpace Day in Richmond on Wednesday.
"This exploratory shuttle flight connects our
adventurous past with the innovation and continued intellectual curiosity that
guides our future as we commemorate America's 400th anniversary," said
Governor Tim Kaine.
"Remembering the spirit of adventure that led to the
establishment of Jamestown is appropriate as this country works toward
establishing a permanent outpost on another planetary body," said Roe.
Each commemorative coin set contains a $5 gold piece and a
silver dollar with visual references to Jamestown's legacies. When returned
from space, NASA will present one set to Kaine for display at Jamestown
Settlement, a 17th century living history museum. The second set will be
displayed at the National Park Service's visitor center at Historic Jamestowne.
NASA will return the shipping tag to Historic Jamestowne for
display in its Archaearium, a new museum for items unearthed during excavations
over the past 13 years that include the long lost remains of James Fort. The
fort was believed to have eroded into the James River.
STS-117
will deliver the second and third starboard truss segments (S3/S4) and another
pair of solar arrays to the International Space Station [image].
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