Special cargo

The six-astronaut crew of the shuttle Discovery mission plans to commemorate the ship's heritage and its historical connection to Captain Cook with a special memento from the Royal Society in London, one of the world's oldest scientific academies. Cook went on expeditions for the society, and was elected a fellow in the 1770s.

 "We will be carrying a medallion from the Royal Society that was struck in honor of Captain Cook," said NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, who will work as a mission specialist on today's flight. "On Cook's third voyage, there was a ship called Discovery, and that's the main ship for which our ship Discovery took its name."