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: Apollo 16 launch viewing paper hat
Size: 33.3 × 28.1 × 0.2 cm

Description: Apollo 16 launch viewing paper hat sponsored by RCA.

The slits in the middle form the domed cap behind the flat bill when the ends are bent around and fastened.

In addition to performing a useful practical function at a launch in sunny Florida, the flat paper hat, a promotional item for RCA, also became a piece of memorabilia of the event.

This item, however, has not been used during the launch.

More information:
Smithsonian Institution