Air Hubble

At an October 30 ceremony at Ratner Athletic Center, NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, SM'84, PhD'88, returned the basketball used by Edwin Hubble, SB 1910, PhD 1917, and his teammates on the 1908-1909 Big Ten championship team. Grunsfeld had carried the ball aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on NASA’s final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Theresa Ebenhoeh, a development associate with the Physical Sciences Division, managed to get herself in this curious picture with Grunsfeld after the ceremony. Here’s how it came about, in her own words:

“John Grunsfeld was being interviewed by a writer for the Chicago Maroon while [Assistant Athletic Director] Dave Hilbert, Steve Koppes [of the News Office], and I were cleaning up. Dave had his camera, so when the interview was finished, I asked John if I could have my picture taken with him. He said yes, and went to the display case, unlocked it, and took the ball out. Dave shot a couple of pictures, and then he said, ‘Let’s do a jump ball!’”

The picture speaks for itself. (Ebenhoeh is the one on the left, without the mustache.)

Benjamin Recchie, AB’03

November 10, 2009