Russians make deal to hit golf ball into orbit to test limits of marketing

Golf is once again playing a leading role as mankind prepares for its latest leap into stupidity.

From NewScientistSpace.com: “Russia plans to hit a golf ball into Earth orbit from the International Space Station. If NASA approves the plan, the ball would set records for the longest drive ever made – but some experts warn that a mishap could cause “catastrophic” damage to the station.”

So why are the Russians planning to smack a golf ball around in outer space? Well, the plan is part of a commercial deal between the Russian space agency and Toronto, Canada’s Element 21 Golf Company.

Yes, the complexities of space will be tested by an orbiting golf ball, all in the name of marketing.

The idea is that an astronaut will hit the ball during a space walk, using a “gold-plated, six-iron golf club,” made out of the same scandium alloy used to build space stations.

Should the astronaut miss-hit the ball, it could end up in the same orbit as the space station, causing calamity.

JC Liou, an orbital debris expert at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said that, while unlikely, could result in a first-ever golf-ball vs. space shuttle collision in outer space, with the force of such a collision being equivalent to that of a 15,000-pound truck moving at nearly 70 miles an hour.

“So the outcome of the worst-case scenario could be quite catastrophic,” Liou said.

If all goes right, Element 21 Golf Company will see huge profits as the ball will travel around in Earth’s orbit for up to four years. From there, it should eventually lose its orbit and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Just in case, however, if you happen to hear a loud, robotic voice from the heavens shouting out:

FORE!!!!!!

Duck.

–WKW