1995 Jefferson Hitches a Ride on the International Space Station

This Series 1995 $2 bill with the serial number F07347783B caught a ride on Soyuz TMA-2 (both there and back!) for a 6 month ride on the International Space Station - granting this Tom the distinction of being the longest space-faring Tom in the collection. Launched on April 25, 2003 from Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, this bill accompanied Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (ISS-7 Commander) and Astronaut Ed Lu on a six month mission as part of the 7th manned crew of the International Space Station. It is one of only 5 such bills that flew, docked at the ISS on April 28, 2003, and then spent 184 days in space, making 2,911 orbits of the Earth, before returning on October 27, 2003. This bill carries the official onboard ISS cancelation mark to the left on the front side of the bill, and Yuri Malenchenko's signature on the right.