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A trip by New Plymouth Boys' High School pupil Lee Wilson to Nasa's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre in 2005 has had a surprise postscript.
Commander Scott Kelly, head of the space shuttle mission now in space, told a website for collectors of space memorabilia that he had taken with him a little piece of New Zealand - the school's black and gold crest.
"I had a kid ask from some school in New Zealand, a kid I met one time, if I would fly his New Zealand striped, really cool looking blazer from his school, but I said it was too big. So what I did 'fly' was the crest," he said.
Lee Wilson, then aged 16, attended the International Space School in Houston, Texas, in 2005 with about 35 other students from around the world, including Kate Goddard, another "space cadet", from New Plymouth Girls' High School.
During their visit, the Discovery landed safely - Nasa's first shuttle flight since the 2003 disaster when Columbia disintegrated during re-entry.
Astronauts on the Endeavour shuttle now in space, and due to return on August 22, have been allowed to carry a few personal items.
Most carried souvenirs for family or former workmates or university friends from their education or training - but Commander Kelly opted for the school crest and a uniform "patch" from the squadron flying X-31 experimental fighters for the China Lake propulsion laboratory near Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Nasa is checking the shuttle's heat shield, damaged during its August 8 liftoff.
- NZPA
