Astronaut Rick Mastracchio's flown shield-shaped Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics pin, carried on a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, where it remained for 188 days during Expedition 38/39. Reverse bears a Honav USA maker's mark and clutch-type backing. Accompanied by a signed letter of provenance from Astronaut Rick Mastracchio.
Soyuz TMA-11M was launched on November 7, 2013, which was more than a week ahead of its once-planned launch date. The reason for the earlier launch was to support the 2014 Sochi Olympic torch relay. The torch was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) by the crew of Soyuz TMA-11M and returned to Earth on November 11 by the TMA-9M returning crew as part of the relay.
Rick Mastracchio was part of the Soyuz TMA-11M crew that carried up the torch. He also carried up several other Olympic items to honor the US athletes as well as a few personal items. In preparation for the mission, Rick reached out to the US Olympic team and offered to fly up a Team USA banner as well as personal items for the team members. The team sent Rick a stack of personal pictures of various team members and a card wishing Rick good luck on the mission.
Among Rick’s personal items were four pins and a patch from the Sochi games. All of these items remained in orbit aboard the ISS with Rick for 188 days, returning on May 14, 2014, after orbiting the Earth more than 3000 times. The banner and pictures of the coaches and athletes were returned to Team USA, while the pins, a patch, and the card stayed with Rick.
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