THE American space shuttle Columbia blasted off early today, with a piece of Chek Lap Kok airport aboard.
The lump of quartz, engraved with a Bauhinia flower towering over the skyline of Central Hong Kong, was carried by Dr Leroy Chiao, the first ethnic Chinese astronaut.
The mission specialist, who will help oversee more than 80 experiments during the flight, said he wanted to take the Hong Kong memento as a gesture towards his Chinese ancestry.
Hong Kong Commissioner to the US Barrie Wiggham was at Cape Canaveral in Florida to attend the launch as a guest of astronaut Dr Chiao.
Columbia, packed with 82 science investigations from 13 countries, is to serve as a miniature space station for Tokyo heart surgeon Chiaki Mukai, Dr Chiao and five crewmates, all men.
Mr Wiggham said he was pleased to be invited and that ''a piece of Hong Kong is travelling with Dr Chiao up to the heavens''.