Billions and Billions of Dollars – Just to Tee Off?

Golf or Science: What is NASA’s Plan for the Space Station?, SpaceRef

“Earlier this month, Element 21 Golf Company, a Canadian golf club manufacturer, revealed publicly that it had an arrangement with Russia whereby a cosmonaut would perform an EVA and hit an instrumented golf ball off of the space station into its own orbit.

Although various sources claim that Russia has studied the issue and is seemingly unperturbed about the prospect of someone standing outside the ISS, swinging a long metal rod and deliberately striking an object such that it departs the ISS without hitting anything, NASA isn’t so sure. Rather, NASA hasn’t completed the required safety analyses to decide if they are concerned. But, lacking these safety reviews, they allowed – or (more accurately) did not block – the launch of the golf gear.”