Japanese space probe returns with ball from Chris Waddleâs Italia 90 penalty
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Japanese scientists have confirmed that the football found inside the Hayabusa probe after its seven-year space trip is from Chris Waddleâs World Cup semi-final penalty shoot out miss from Italia 90.
A statement from the countryâs space agency said analysis of the ball retrieved from the craftâs sample canister revealed that it was indeed a twenty year-old Adidas Etrusco Unico.
After studying footage of the penalty kick and carrying out calculations based on the balls velocity and trajectory scientists are confident it is the ball from Waddleâs wayward spot kick.
Japanâs science and technology minister, Yoshiaki Takagi, told reporters, âNever in our wildest dreams to we believe that a mission to the asteroid Itokawa could result in such a discovery. We felt sure that this ball was lost to science forever.â
âThis is the first mission ever to recover even a small piece of a ball from such a ridiculously bad penalty.â
Japan space probe
It is expected that analysis of the ball will take several years, as scientists seek to learn whatever they can from the piece of sporting memorabilia which has spent the last twenty years travelling through space.
Takagi continued, âThis ball has been across our solar system, it has reached our asteroid belt, and come to rest millions and millions of miles from Bodo Illgners goal.â
âWe will look closely at the evident we now have access to, and we are hoping it will answer some of the universeâs greatest questions.â
âQuestions such as, can we prevent future asteroid collisions, is there life on other planets, and what the hell was Chris Waddle thinking.â
