This is the stowage bag for the Penguin suit that Soviet cosmonaut Yury Malyshev wore during his first spaceflight on board Soyuz T-2, en route to the Salyut 6 space station. The suit was designed to ameliorate the debilitating effects of prolonged microgravity on the skeletal muscular system experienced during prolonged periods in microgravity. Inside the suit is an elaborate system of cords and straps that can be arranged to simulate gravity pulling on muscles. When not in use, the suit had to be stowed inside the space station and not get in the way of other work, thus the bag is an essential component of the system.

Malyshev sold this stowage bag along with his Penguin suit at auction. The estate of the American collector who bought it donated it to the museum.