NASA astronaut Norman Thagard wore this right glove as part of his rescue suit during the launch to the space station Mir on board Soyuz TM-21 on March 14, 1995 enroute to the Mir Space station as a member of the Mir 18 Mission (3/14/95-7/7/95). Dr. Thagard was the first American to participate in a joint Russian-American human flight mission since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. He is also the first (and to date only) American to launch on board a Soyuz spacecraft.

The glove is part of the Sokol KV-2 (Falcon) pressure suit, is white nylon canvas around the wrist with an anodized aluminum coupling that attaches the glove to the suit. The astronaut's initials in Russian, NT, are stamped on the inside of this white cuff in blue. The hand and finger portion of the glove consist of a custom molded rubber hand that is reinforced with leather in the palm. Between the leather and rubber are metal reinforcement bars that prevent the glove from distending while under pressure.

Transferred from NASA to the Museum in 1996.

NASA astronaut Norman Thagard wore this right glove as part of his rescue suit during the launch to the space station Mir on board Soyuz TM-21 on March 14, 1995 enroute to the Mir Space station as a member of the Mir 18 Mission (3/14/95-7/7/95). Dr. Thagard was the first American to participate in a joint Russian-American human flight mission since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. He is also the first (and to date only) American to launch on board a Soyuz spacecraft.

The glove is part of the Sokol KV-2 (Falcon) pressure suit, is white nylon canvas around the wrist with an anodized aluminum coupling that attaches the glove to the suit. The astronaut's initials in Russian, NT, are stamped on the inside of this white cuff in blue. The hand and finger portion of the glove consist of a custom molded rubber hand that is reinforced with leather in the palm. Between the leather and rubber are metal reinforcement bars that prevent the glove from distending while under pressure.

Bibliography:

Compton, W. David, and Charles D. Benson. Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab, NASA SP-408. Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1983.

"Sokol-KV2 Ultralight Rescue Suit," technical data sheet from JSC Zvezda.

Sotheby's. Russian Space History, Sale 6516 (12/11/93 auction catalogue). New York: Sotheby's, 1993.

Sotheby's. Russian Space History, Sale 6753 (3/16/96 auction catalogue). New York: Sotheby's, 1996.

Umanskii, S. P. Chelovek na kosmicheskoi orbite. Moscow: Mashinostroenie, 1974.