NASA Special Collection Database

 

Category: all • Total items: 359

Straps, Cable Wrist

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Category Electronics

Description Two straps are held by the library but as they are identical, the description will discuss one. 7.5" X .75" maroon, grey and black elastic wrist strap. One 1.25" X 1" black plastic and metal adjustment piece with hinge is fixed around elastic. The top part of the metal is a snap. One 2" silver colored metal clip is included with the strap. One 29" black cord is included with the strap. On one end is a female connector and on the opposite end is a male connector. The middle of the cord is coiled. One 6" X 5" clear plastic bas holds all three artifacts. It has two white identification stickers with numerous barcodes and information in black. Please refer to photos. All items included are in very good condition.

Barcode 31315006850288

Provenance Sent from Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Currently held at the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Part of order #29.

Purpose This item was manufactured by United Space Alliance. No other information was given to the Library about this item's use.

Suit, Advanced Crew Escape

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Category Clothing

Description 60" long by 56" arm span wide, navy blue nylon suit. Item was mislabeled as a Gas Container Suit in shipment documents but after careful inspection sewn label identified garment as an Advanced Crew Escape Suit. It is size medium. Manufactured by David Clark Co., Inc., May 1994. Model Number: S1035. Item is in good condition (visual appeal).

Barcode 31315006850502

Provenance Shipped from George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, Greg Tate. Currently Held at the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Item is part of order #22-1

Purpose Advanced Crew Escape Suit systems are necessary to maintain a survivable environment for launch and re-entry. Among other attributes these suits provide emergency breathing and pressurization up to a certain altitude. The S1035 ACES first flew aboard STS-68 in August 1994.

Tape, Gortex Tubular

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Category Textile

Description Three 7" rolls of white textile tape/trim and one cut yard of same textile. Textile is 9/16" wide and a tube or double thickness. Rolls hold 50 total yards each. Each roll has specific notes on the side. The one-yard piece has brown dye on each end. All items included are in very good condition.

Barcode 31315006360619

Provenance Item shipped from Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. Currently held in the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Item is a display piece. Part of order 18-2.

Purpose Gortex (Gore-Tex) is a fabric and tape company that makes materials for spacesuits. Items held by the Library’s NASA Special Collection include three rolls of Gortex tubular tape used to trim and cover raw material edges. There is no way to verify which spelling for this vendor is correct. Rolls have one spelling, “Gortex” that could not be confirmed. Internet search gave “Gore-Tex” as spelling.

For more information:
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/ISSRG/pdfs/emu.pdf

Test Unit, Performance

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Category Electronics

Description 3.5" X 6" X 1.75" rectangular box, covered in foil with three stickers; red, Class III Not for Flight, beige, L/I 18 and White inventory sticker. Includes clear small bubble wrap bag. Item is in good condition.

Barcode 31315005263285

Provenance Shipped from LBJ Space Center. Currently held in the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Not flown. Item is in used condition. Part of order # 3.

Purpose The performance test unit was hardware aboard a space flight that could be used to measure mental activity. This data was collected for scientific research. Testing with the unit included logging of sleep and wake times, auditory reaction times, and logs of questionnaires.

Thermometer, Digital W/Accessories

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Category Electronics

Description 9.25" X 5.5" X 4" Model 49TA, Digital-Thermometer, 20-43C, 68-109F, Scientific Division, Yellow springs Instrument Co., Inc. Blue and cream steel encased unit with Celsius and Fahrenheit dial. Unit has jack for probe and screen for a read-out. Model 497A, Serial 1099 located on the bottom. Steel handle, white sticker on back; 105407-5. Instructions on unit operating instructions located on the back. Four white rubber feet on the back. Accessories includes HOBO XT yellow leads encases in white Velcro 2X2" packs connected four in a row with four rows. multicolored wires are included in three of the rows. Three extra meters included belonging to no packs or rows. Item is in good condition.

Barcode 31315005275065

Provenance Shipped from LBJ Space Center in Houston Texas. Currently Held at the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Not flown. Item is part of order #10

Purpose Temperature is one of the biggest obstacles to space travel. Shuttles, for example, need to withstand not only the heat of launch and reentry but also the intense cold of vacuum space, where matter is too little and far between to transfer heat energy. Considering also the many delicate experiments and astronaut health checks that take place regularly during and while preparing for space missions, accurate temperature measurements and instrumentation are vital to NASA.

For more information:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/blog/2013/5/infrared-ear-thermometer

https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2008/tech_benefits.html

Tile, Black Shuttle

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Category Shuttle Hardware

Description 3.5" X 7" X 1" dark grey painted curved bull-nose tile enclosed in shrink wrap with warning label. Label asks that tile never be unwrapped. Item is in pristine condition.

Barcode 31315006311190

Provenance Shipped from Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. Currently held in the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Not flown. Part of order #SP-01.

Purpose Black shuttle tiles cover space shuttles to protect what is known as the shuttle’s skin from extreme temperatures. There are approximately 24,000 blocks of tiles on each shuttle. These tiles are made up of silica fibers which transfer heat very slowly trapping heat before it gets to the inner layers of the shuttle.

Information gathered at:
http://www.airspacemag.com/how-things-work/shuttle-tiles-12580671/?no-ist

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/orbiter/tps/hrcitiles.html
Shuttle tiles being installed:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/multimedia/gallery/tile.html

Tool Assembly, Flexible Modular

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Category Tools

Description 16.5" X 1.18" long cylindrical tool. One metal cylinder with protruding round metal pin or gasket at side. It's bottom is open and the cylinder is hollow. A black label reads in white type, "FLEXIBLE MODULAR CLEANING TOOL ASSY, SEG39125404-301". Above this, the cylinder narrows to join to a hexagonal, hard piece of orange plastic topped with a ball joint, which locks into the bottom of a chain of 20 blue hard plastic cones. Each cone is imprinted with "LOC-LINE" and has a similar balled top that locks into the next such that the blue pieces form a rigid but pliable chain, ending in a conical hollow orange nozzle with a hole at the tip, presumably for mounting interchangeable tools. Item is in very good condition.

Barcode 31315006850098

Provenance Shipped from Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77062. Currently Held at the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Item is part of order #25.

Purpose Astronauts need special tools for their work. Not only are they working at very specialized tasks, but even something as simple as turning a screw is complicated by microgravity and the limited space aboard a spacecraft. This device, with its modular tip and adjustable length, might allow tools to access spaces not reachable with straight, rigid tools.

For more information:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/series/cats.html

Tool, Small/Extension Container Assembly

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Category Tools

Description 12.6" X 20.5" Rectangular piece of pocketed canvas rolled and strapped with strip of double-sided white velcro. Label on outside of set reads "ITEM SMALL TOOL/EXTENSION CONTAINER ASSY", "PART NO. 10114-20025-02", "SERIAL NO. N/A", "SIZE N/A", "CODE ID. 74897", "MFG. 1/83", "CONTACT NO. NAS9-16589", "ILC SPACE SYSTEMS". Seven Velcro pockets (two segmented) are labelled, and contain: one pair "NEEDLENOSE PLIERS", one pair "CUTTERS", one "RATCHET", one "DRIVER HANDLE" (containing black-handle screwdriver with ball-lock modular head), and one smaller "DRIVER HANDLE" pocket, empty. The larger segmented pocket is labelled and contains (bracketed for clarity where labels contain inch measurements): [1/4" DRIVE 4' EXTENSION], [1/4" DRIVE 6" EXTENSION], [1/4" DRIVE 10" EXTENSION], and [3/8" DRIVE 12" EXTENSION]. The smaller segmented pocket is labelled "JEWELER'S SCREWDRIVER SET" and contains a full set of six, arranged by size. Two metal rails hold screwdriver and ratchet heads, locked on sliding metal clips and labelled: "Adptr", 1/4, 5/16, 3/18, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16 on the upper rail and 1/4, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16 and "HEX 6/64" on the lower. All individual tools and attachments are full metal (excepting the black plastic handle of the screwdriver) and affixed with a small strip of blue Velcro that holds them in place. Item is in very good condition.

Barcode 31315006850122

Provenance Shipped from Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77062. Currently Held at the Orland Park Public Library NASA Special Collection. Item is part of order #25.

Purpose Not only must astronauts be prepared with any tool they might need, they also need to keep their equipment carefully organized: no easy task with small, specialized parts in microgravity. This container keeps several basic tools organized while also keeping them from floating away.

For more information:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/series/cats.html

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