Source: US FBI
Astronauts may take five personal items to commemorate a mission, and Steve knew one item he wanted to take.
“To express my gratitude—not only to my sister for her great influence as a trailblazer and a person with grit and fortitude, but also to thank this great organization, the FBI—I decided to fly this FBI flag,” he said.
Paula worked at the Office of the General Counsel at FBI Headquarters at the time, and a colleague who ran the FBI Tour got a large flag for Paula to give Steve.
“Everyone thought it would be really cool,” said Paula.
On February 11, 1997, the Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the FBI flag safely in tow. Steve spent nearly 20 hours in space during the spacewalk—an experience he called “magical.”
The shuttle landed on February 21. Tradition holds that every astronaut autographs each personal item that traveled on the flight after landing. The signed flag was originally placed in a special section of the FBI Tour. Today, the flag hangs in the Director’s corridor at Headquarters, next to a certificate of authenticity and images from Steve’s flight.