Artifact: Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster "Remove Before Flight" banner
Date of use: anytime within 1981-2011
Manufacturer: Thiokol

Serial Number: 0007919

Part Number: IU50727-0107703
Spacecraft: Space Shuttle
Dimensions: 30.3 x 7.6 cm (banner) 16.1 cm (teather strap).
Weight: 10 gr
Program: Space Shuttle
Flown Status: unflown

Description: This banner was produced by the Thiokol's Wasatch division with the Serial number 0007919 and Item number IU50727-0107703 on the reverse side. It still has the tether strap attached.

This tag and others like it were used to mark support hardware, protective covers, and various items temporarily attached to the orbiter and/or its payloads that were not meant for flight. The red color helped engineers to easily spot and confirm that all equipment requiring removal was taken off before the shuttle launched into orbit.

Artifact: Space Shuttle Ankle Restraint Assy
Artifact Category: restraint
Date of use: between 1981 to early 1990's

Part Number: 10108-10056-01
Dimensions: 30.3 x 22.8 (pad), 29.2 x 15.4 cm (foot restraint)
Weight: foot restraint and pad: 167 gr. Foot restraint 122 gr. Pad: 45 gr.
Program: Space Shuttle
Flown Status: unknown.

Description: Space Shuttle Ankle Restraint Assy. NASA part #10108-10056-01 indicating Forward, were first used on STS-1. Based on photo, they appear to have been duck taped in place, although there is possibly adhesive residue of some type on the back. Unknown if flown. Originally obtained as NASA surplus.

Crew member slips his feet into middeck port side intravehicular activity (IVA) foot restraints behind open stowage locker drawer aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during its STS-5 mission. Credit: NASA.

View of forward (FWD) flight deck (FD) floor showing foot restraints of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-53 mission. Credit: NASA.

Artifact: Space Shuttle Main Engine nozzle cooling channels section.
Manufacturer: Rocketdyne.
Dimensions: 7 x 3.2 x 0.6 cm.
Weight: 20 gr.
Program: Space Shuttle
Flown Status: Unflown.

Description:

Section of cooling channels for the Space Shuttle Main Engine nozzle used for testing.

The nozzle is manufactured from 1,080 individual A-286 Stainless Steel coolant tubes. These tubes are thinwalled and roughly 1/4" (0.63 cm) in diameter brazed together and to the structural jacket.

The fuel is supplied to the nozzle from the high-pressure fuel turbopump at 6,000 psi. It enters the nozzle from the diffuser and is then routed through the downcomer lines into the aft manifold. The fuel is routed upwards in a single pass through the nozzle tubes to cool the inner wall of the nozzle increasing in temperature by 400°F (204°C) in ahout two milliseconds. The hydrogen collects in the forward manifold then onto the mixer bowl to combine with the bypass flow from the coolant control valve.

Space Shuttle Main Engine. The cooling tubes are visible on the interior wall of the nozzle. Credit: National Air and Space Museum - Smithsonian Institution.

Liquid Hydrogen at -423 °F (-252° C) was used during chill-down and was the propellant for the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) on the Shuttle Orbiter.

The Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25, also known as the SSME, is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine that was used on NASA's Space Shuttle and is currently used on the Space Launch System (SLS).

Item: Space Shuttle HSRI tile
Size: 15.2x15.2x9x10.9x8.8x7.4 cms.

Weight: 338 gr.

Serial number: VO-070-193004 -98 -008727.

Description: This thermal protection tile comes from the estate of a Lockheed Missile and Space Company Engineer who worked on the development of the Space Shuttle Tiles for NASA. The Company went on to make the tiles for NASA. This tile has the digitized serial numbering system NASA used for placement of each tile on the shuttle. This particular tile was to be located on the mid fuselage sides and lower area. On the back side it says: "VO-070-193004 -98", "53842", "8727", "SCRAP".

Artifact: Fit Check Tile of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Nomenclature:

VO70-391040-112
P1 099 ONLY
TY6317 4-82
H-13728 E07 14
OML

Orbiter: OV-099 Challenger

Location: forward fuselage.

Category: Thermal Protection System.

Period of use: 1982.

Manufacturer: Rockwell International / NASA

NASA contract number: N/A

Spacecraft/Launch Systems: Space Shuttle

Dimensions: 15.1 x 29.8, x 8.5 cm

Weight: 696 g.

Program: Space Shuttle

Flown status: unflown.

Description: Fit Check Tiles were used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter bodies to verify the fit before the actual tiles were fabricated and installed. Each Orbiter is covered with approxim ately 24,000 silica fiber compound tiles and they are all essentially different in size and shape. Based in the information printed on the tile, this particular example would fit on Challenger. The tile originally came from the Charlie Bell collection and is displayed on a Mahogany base with a metal descriptive plaque affixed to it.

Tile serial numbers normally consist of four segments, the first three separated by dashes. In this fit check tile, three numbers appear separated by dashes:

VO70-391040-112

The first two elements of the serial number are letters 'VT' or 'VO'. The 'V' is for Vehicle, the 'O' is orbiter.

The second set of six digits is the location on the orbiter. The following diagram provides a better understanding of tiles locations:

Credit: NASA

P1 099 ONLY means that it was used only on the Challenger Orbiter.

OML: Outer Mold Line.

Sources:

Tile serial numbers (NASA)

Shuttle Tile Maps

Artifact: STS-118 flown seeds on 5x7 card presentation.
Date of use: August 8, 2007 - August 21, 2007.
Dimensions: 10.1 x 15.1 cm.
Flown Status: flown.

Description:

Basil seeds flown on STS-118 on card presentation. These seeds were returned to Earth as part of the STS-118/13A. 1 mission in which Astronaut Barbara Morgan initiated the grown cycle of basil seeds inside the ISS. The seeds were sent to school children for them to plant and observe the differences between seeds exposed to space and seeds that have remained on Earth.

Artifact: Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) Flown American Flag on Presentation Certificate
Artifact Category: Flag, certificate
Date of use: 12-14 April, 1981
Spacecraft/Launch Systems: Space Shuttle Columbia
Materials: Cloth, paper
Program: Space Transportation System

Dimensions: 21.2 x 27.9 cm. Flag: 10.5 x 14.5 cm.
Flown Status: Flown

Description: A 5.75" x 4.125" cloth U.S. flag that accompanied crewmembers Young and Crippen aboard the maiden voyage of the Space Shuttle program, April 12-14, 1981. It is laid down to a 7" x 11" certificate with two color photos, the mission insignia, and facsimile signatures of Christopher C. Kraft, John Young and Bob Crippen, along with text as follows: "Presented to JERRY T. KILPATRICK. This flag was flown aboard Space Shuttle 'Columbia' (STS-1) April 12 - 14, 1981. It is presented to you in recognition of the significant contribution you made to the success of the mission."

Jerry T. Kilpatrick worked at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Besides the Personal Preference Kit (PPK) limited to 2.5 pounds of personal items the astronauts flew for family members and friends, STS-1 also carried an Official Flight Kit (OFK) containing presentation items that NASA, the crew and others would distribute post-flight. OFKs have flown on all subsequent shuttle missions and can be traced back to Apollo flights.

Notable among the STS-1 OFK contents were 10,000 small U.S. flags, which were later given to employees and VIPs. These flags represent the most accessible of STS-1's artifacts today.

Artifact: STS-56 training Contingency Abort Cue Card
Artifact Category: cue card.
Date of use: 1993.
Manufacturer: NASA
Materials: cardboard, Velcro.
Dimensions: 18.2 x 20.4 cm

Program: Space Shuttle

Mission: STS-56
Flown Status: unflown.
Description: 7"x 8" heavy card Contingency Abort and RTLS cue card used in training by Ken Cameron for his STS-56 mission. It comes with a signed COA from him.

Once the shuttle's SRBs were ignited, the vehicle was committed to liftoff. If an event requiring an abort happened after SRB ignition, it was not possible to begin the abort until after SRB burnout and separation, about two minutes after launch. There were five abort modes available during ascent, divided into the categories of intact aborts and contingency aborts.

The RTLS abort mode was never needed in the history of the shuttle program. It was considered the most difficult and dangerous abort, but also among the most unlikely to occur as only a very narrow range of probable failures existed that were survivable but nevertheless so time-critical as to rule out more time-consuming abort modes.

STS-56 was the 56th mission of the United States Space Shuttle program and the 10th flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission was launched on April 8, 1993, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a crew of five astronauts led by Commander Kenneth Cameron.

The main objective of the mission was to carry out a series of scientific experiments in microgravity. The payload included the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-2), which was a collection of instruments designed to study the Earth's atmosphere and its interactions with the sun.

During the 9-day mission, the crew conducted a total of 81 experiments, which included observations of the Earth's ozone layer, the effects of solar radiation on the atmosphere, and the behavior of fluids in microgravity. They also tested a new device called the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS), which was designed to reduce the amount of vibration experienced by sensitive experiments on board the shuttle.

In addition to the scientific experiments, the crew also performed a number of technical and maintenance tasks, including the deployment and retrieval of a small satellite called the Spartan 201, and the testing of new thermal protection materials for the shuttle's heat shield.

STS-56 landed on April 17, 1993 at the Kennedy Space Center.

Item: Kathryn Sullivan signed photo
Dimensions: 20.2 x 27 cm.

Description: Kathryn Sullivan was born on October 3, 1951, in Paterson, New Jersey. She is an American oceanographer, astronaut, and former NOAA Administrator.

Sullivan made history in 1984 as the first American woman to walk in space during the STS-41G mission. She also flew on the shuttle mission STS-31, which launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. After leaving NASA, she served as Chief Scientist at NOAA and later as the Administrator of NOAA from 2014 to 2017. She has received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Item: Scott Kelly signed photo
Dimensions: 20.4 x 25.4 cm.

Description: Scott Kelly was born on February 21, 1964, in Orange, New Jersey. He is an American astronaut and retired US Navy Captain.

Kelly graduated from the State University of New York Maritime College and joined the Navy in 1987. He served as a fighter pilot and test pilot before being selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1996. Kelly has logged over 520 days in space and is best known for spending a record-breaking year in space aboard the International Space Station from 2015 to 2016.

He is a recipient of several awards and honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.

Artifact: BFGoodrich Space Shuttle tire presentation
Size: 20 x 13.5 (total dimensions of the presentation with the model of the Space Shuttle in different positions), base: 15 x 8.9 cm, tire section: 7 x 5 x 2.9 cm.
Weight: 598 grs for the whole presentation. Tire fragment: 98 grs.
Manufacturer: BFGoodrich

Flown status: unflown.

Description: unflown section of a Space Shuttle tire.

BFGoodrich Tires and BFGoodrich-owned Cleveland Pneumatics developed the landing gear for NASA as a package. They began work in 1972 and went through two major design iterations before taking flight in 1981. Coming in at a whopping 34-ply rating, the second-generation tire’s task was to provide more payload ability, more crosswind reduction, more shock absorption, and more runway traction.

The tire presentation was assembled for BFGoodrich. The reason for there being so few of them is that they were just being given out at the time of the Challenger disaster and BFGoodrich pulled the plug on them.

It is not known how many were given out, but many of them were first sent to Japan. It is also assumed that some were kept by the headquarters and given to NASA people.  

The plaque says: "First Space Shuttle Flight, April 12, 1981 Shuttle 'Columbia'. Tires, wheels and brakes for all space shuttles are supplied by BFGoodrich. The globe contains a section of an actual space shuttle tire."

More information:

CollectSpace.com

Item: STS-1 crew autopensigned NASA litho.
Size: 20.4 x 25.5 cm

Description: the picture has autopen signatures from John Young and Bob Crippen. STS-1 was the first orbital spaceflight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The mission was launched on April 12, 1981, and was crewed by two astronauts: Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen.

John Young was a veteran astronaut who had previously flown on Gemini 3, Gemini 10, Apollo 10, and Apollo 16 missions. Robert Crippen was a Navy pilot and aerospace engineer who had never flown in space before.

The primary objective of STS-1 was to test the Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, in orbit. The mission also aimed to demonstrate that the Space Shuttle was capable of safe, reliable, and routine access to space.

During the mission, Young and Crippen tested the Shuttle's systems and performed a number of maneuvers, including a roll reversal and a braking test. They also deployed and retrieved a satellite, and conducted experiments to test the performance of various materials in space.

STS-1 was a successful mission, paving the way for future Space Shuttle flights and establishing the Space Shuttle as a reliable and versatile spacecraft. The mission lasted for two days, six hours, 20 minutes, and 53 seconds, and the crew landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California on April 14, 1981.

Item: Charles Gordon Fullerton signed NASA portrait
Size: 20.4 x 25.5 cm.

Description: Charles Gordon Fullerton (1936-2013) was an American astronaut, test pilot, and Air Force colonel. He was born in Portland, Oregon, and attended the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. Fullerton went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force, flying numerous aircraft, including the F-4 Phantom II, the T-38 Talon, and the B-52 Stratofortress.

In 1969, Fullerton was selected by NASA as a member of the astronaut corps. He served as a backup pilot for the Skylab 3 mission in 1973 and then flew as a pilot on the STS-3 mission in 1982, which was the third Space Shuttle mission and the first to land on a runway. Fullerton went on to fly as a mission specialist on two more Space Shuttle missions, STS-51F in 1985 and STS-61F in 1986.

In addition to his work with NASA, Fullerton also served as a test pilot for the Air Force and worked on several classified projects. He retired from the Air Force in 1988 with the rank of colonel and from NASA in 2007.

Throughout his career, Fullerton was recognized for his contributions to aviation and space exploration, receiving numerous awards and honors. He passed away on August 21, 2013, in Lancaster, California, at the age of 76.

Item: STS-1 launch witness certificate
Size: 20.4 x 25.1 cm.

Description: these certificates were given to people who attended the launch of the first Space Shuttle mission crewed by John Young and Bob Crippen. Postmarked on the date of launch, April 12, 1981.

The name of the person was blacked out here due to privacy reasons.

Item: STS-8 flown cover with presentation folder.
Size: 16.1 x 9.5 cm. Presentation folder: 21.4 x 28 cm. 

Description: through the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Postal Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, this special event cover (envelope) was developed and carried aboard STS-8,
NASA's official designation for the eighth Space Shuttle flight. This cover is unique because it is the first to record the flight into space with originating and returning postal cancellations. The cover’s front
cachet is a reproduction of NASA's official “patch” design for STS-8, and the cachet on the reverse side depicts NASA’s 25th anniversary logo. The stamp affixed is also noteworthy because it was issued at the Kennedy Space Center on August 12, 1983.

The August 14, 1983, cancellation date on the front of the cover indicates the day STS-8 was scheduled to be launched with its cargo of covers, including this one NASA’s 25th anniversary logo is part of the

cancellation design on the front of the cover. The circular postmark cancellation

On the reverse side of the cover indicates the place and date the shuttle returned to Earth.

Members of the crew were Richard H. Truly, commander, Daniel C. Brandenstein, Dale A. Gardner, Guion S. Bluford and William B. Thornton.

During the flight, the INSAT-1B communications satellite was put into orbit and several important experiments were conducted. One of these included using an electrical field to separate molecules in
liquid suspension, for possible pharmaceutical applications. Also, the 50 foot-long mechanical arm in the cargo payload area was tested in preparation for retrieving the Solar Observatory Satellite which was launched several years ago to monitor the sun. On a later shuttle flight, NASA plans to have astronauts take the ailing observatory out of its orbit, make repairs, and then relaunch it.

Item: Guion S. Bluford, Jr signed litho
Size: 20.4 x 25.5 cm.

Description: Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (born November 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut in which capacity he became the second person of African descent to go to space. While assigned to NASA, he remained a USAF officer rising to the rank of colonel. He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the Orbiter Challenger on the mission STS-8, he became the first African American in space as well as the second person of African descent in space, after Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez.

Item: STS-53 possibly flown Contingency Abort cue card

Artifact Category: cue card

Date of use: 1992

Manufacturer: NASA

Spacecraft/Launch Systems: Space Shuttle Discovery

Materials: carboard, Velcro.

Program: Space Transportation System

Dimensions: 20.3 x 15.2 cm.

Flown Status: possibly flown

Description: A very probably flown STS-53 Bermuda/ECAL Contingency Abort cue card marked FIN (Final) at the bottom. All Final cards were flown if it's not marked as a backup.

An ECAL/BDA abort was similar to RTLS (Return to Launch Site), but instead of landing at the Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter would attempt to land at another site along the east coast of North America (in the case of ECAL) or Bermuda (in the case of BDA). Various potential ECAL landing sites extended from South Carolina into Newfoundland, Canada. The designated landing site in Bermuda was Naval Air Station Bermuda (a United States Navy facility). ECAL/BDA was a contingency abort that was less desirable than an intact abort, primarily because there was so little time to choose the landing site and prepare for the orbiter's arrival. All of the pre-designated sites were either military airfields or joint civil/military facilities. ECAL emergency sites were not as well equipped to accommodate an orbiter landing as those prepared for RTLS and TAL aborts  (Transoceanic Abort Landing).

STS-53 was the 53rd mission of the United States Space Shuttle program and the 15th flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission was launched on December 2, 1992, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a crew of five astronauts led by Commander David Walker.

The primary objective of the mission was to deploy a classified satellite for the United States Department of Defense. The details of the payload and its mission were kept secret, as it was a classified military operation. It was widely speculated that the satellite was a signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellite designed to monitor enemy communications.

In addition to the satellite deployment, the crew also performed a number of scientific experiments, including the collection of data on the Earth's upper atmosphere, the study of microgravity effects on protein crystal growth, and the testing of new materials for use in space.

The mission lasted for a total of 8 days, during which the crew performed several orbital maneuvers and made multiple passes over the Earth to complete their tasks. They also tested new technology and equipment, such as the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines and the Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters.

STS-53 was a success, with the classified payload being successfully deployed and the crew returning safely to Earth on December 9, 1992, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The mission was notable for being the last shuttle mission of 1992 and the last shuttle mission commanded by David Walker.

Item: Made in space - The first space product.

Size: 20.2 x 17.7 x 2.2 cm.

Description: These polystyrene spheres were the the first true product made in space. They were created on-board STS-6 as the result of an experiment developed by Lehigh University to produce a Standard Reference Material used in calibrating particle size measuring instruments (for example, optical and electron microscopes). The spheres are so small - 10 micrometers in diameter - that 18000 could fit on the head of a pin. The beads were first offered to the public in 1985. Edition: Number CM015. It comes with an information sheet titled "Made in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger".

Item: Space Shuttle LRSI white tile

Size: 14.9 x 15 x 5.1 cms.

Weight: 184 gr.

Serial number: N/A.

Description: This thermal protection tile comes from the estate of a Lockheed Missile and Space Company Engineer who worked on the development of the Space Shuttle Tiles for NASA. The Company went on to make the tiles for NASA. On the back side it says: "639551 T03-8002", "MFI", "DUMMY".

Item: Trash compator bag for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS)
Size: 17.3 x 2.2 cms.

Weight: 379 grs.

Descripcion: Trash compactor bag designed for the Extended Duration Orbiter [EDO] trash compactor. It was located on the mid deck of the Space Shuttle.

The experimental shuttle trash compactor flied on STS-35 for the first time as Detailed Test Objective DTO 634, The compactor became an important part of shuttle hardware as NASA begins flying Extended Duration Orbiter flights.

The 48-pound compactor fits in place of a middeck locker and is operated manually. Trash is placed inside a polypropylene bag which, when full, is placed inside the chamber of the compactor. One bag holds a volume equivalent to one-half cubic foot. A metal compactor door is closed securing the bag inside the chamber. A crewmember then uses handles on either side of the compactor in a garden shear-type movement to engage gears which push a piston from the back of the chamber to the front, compressing the trash to a volume four times smaller. The piston compresses the trash using a force of about 60 pounds per square inch. Operating the EDO trash compactor could provide a type of exercise for the crew.

Pam Alloway, NASA News Release No. 90-025, Mar. 16, 1990 - edited.

After the piston is moved as far forward as it was designed to go, the crewmember retracts the piston, opens the compactor door, and pulls a strap to remove the bag from the chamber. The bag has a lid which houses a charcoal filter to contain odors, fluids an bacteria. A one-way air valve in the lid allows air out of the bag, relieving pressure built up during compaction. Next, the entire package is placed inside the orbiter trash stowage compartment. The bags fit through an eight-inch-diameter hole in the middeck floor. This compartment, known as Volume F, normally is used for wet trash stowage.

About ten years ago Johnson Engineering Corp. in Boulder, Colorado, began working on a concept for an orbiter trash compactor that could be developed commercially for recreational vehicles. Using that experience the company bid on a contract in July 1989 to design a shuttle trash compactor. The design has been tested and certified using a variety of items, including food, water, flight trash, plastic and metal food containers, and teleprinter pages.

Source:

• NASASpaceflight.com