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Washington: Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin was late for his tee time in space, but still managed to launch a super-lightweight golf ball into orbit - even if he shanked his shot.
Tyurin hit the golf ball 77 minutes behind schedule on Wednesday after delays to fix an overheating spacesuit and a stuck exterior hatch.
Using a gold-plated six-iron and an American astronaut in the role of caddy-and-safety-holder, Tyurin hit the drive from a spring-like tee outside the international space station, 355km over the northwest Pacific Ocean. The shot, which veered a little to the right, kicked off a problem-plagued slightly shortened spacewalk. "I can see it as a little dot moving away from us," Tyurin said.
But just how far did that baby go? Like in any golf story, it depends on who you talk to.
That drive went 1.6 billion kilometres - or will by the time it eventually comes down in a couple years - said Nataliya Hearn, the president of Element 21 Golf Company.
The Toronto firm is paying the cash-starved Russian space agency an undisclosed amount for the golf stunt to promote its new golf club that includes a space-programme-derived metal.
Like many golfers, Tyurin spent several minutes trying to get comfortable addressing the ball, but unlike his Earth-bound counterparts, at times he was upside down.
He was tethered to the space station and had astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria holding on to him.
Nasa spacewalk commentator Rob Navias, who was not broadcasting in golf's traditional hushed tones, noted that Tyurin's shot sliced to the right. An agitated Tyurin opted not to take a planned second or third shot.
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