2008 Upper Deck : A Piece of History

A Piece of History baseball trading cards were released on July 2, 2008, by The Upper Deck Company. The series showcases historical figures and events in baseball and American culture. Each box contains 16 packs with 8 cards per pack. Each box includes one serial numbered baseball autograph on average. Memorabilia card odds are approximately three per box, including one Hollywood material relic.

The 200-card base set includes 100 veterans, 50 rookies, and 50 "Historical Moments" cards. Each base card has four variants: Silver, Red #/149, Gold #/75, and Blue #/25.

The "Historical Moments" base cards feature the launch of Sputnik I, the first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the International Space Station.

"Sputnik Launched" describes the launch of the Sputnik I satellite on October 4, 1957. The card photograph depicts a model of the Sputnik III satellite displayed at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair.

"Sputnik was instrumental not only because of what was accomplished on that 10/4/57 launch, but due to the ramifications of the event. Sputnik I, created by the Soviet Union, was the first man-made object to orbit the Earth, and it caused the United States to create a space program entitled NASA and to increase its spending on education."

"Space Shuttle Launch" describes the first launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-1. The card photograph depicts the prototype orbiter Enterprise mounted to the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

"Exactly 20 years after the first manned space flight took place, the initial space shuttle launch transpired on 4/12/81. The mission was on the orbiter Columbia and it contained astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen. The STS-1 Shuttle, which had an altitude of 166 nautical miles, lasted just over two days and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, CA."

"Marking a major development in astrophysics, the Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990. It's the only telescope that is used by astronauts, and the first mission took place in December 1993. Since it's positioned outside the Earth's atmosphere, there are many advantages, including the images are much clearer, and it can view ultraviolet light."

The International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Atlantis on February 18, 2008. STS-122/1E docked the European Space Agency (ESA) module Columbus to the starboard hatch of Node 2 Harmony. The Columbus laboratory is the largest ESA module connected to the space station.

"The International Space Station is an incredible research facility that began to be assembled during 1998. The ISS has an altitude of 189–248 statute miles and is a project formed by the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia and several European countries. Since the first crew entered the station in 2000, it has had a constant human presence in space."