Various small hand tools are carried aboard the Space Shuttle for basic operational and repair tasks. Some of the tools are custom-made for particular tasks, and some, like this torque wrench, are standard commercially available tools slightly modified for astronaut use. Velcro strips are often added as an attachment feature to hold a tool in place and prevent it from floating about in "weightlessness" when it is not in active use. NASA reported this wrench as flown on Shuttle missions STS-55, STS-56, STS-61, STS-63, STS-73, STS-80, STS-86, STS-91, and STS-95 from 1993 through1998. This tool's flight history includes three Spacelab missions, a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, three Shuttle-Mir missions, and John Glenn's return to space.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
United States of America
EQUIPMENT-Tools
Snap-on Incorporated
3-D: 23.5 × 4.6 × 4.6cm (9 1/4 × 1 13/16 × 1 13/16 in.)
Steel
Aluminum
Synthetic
Velcro
Coating
Textile
A20000670000
Transferred from NASA, Johnson Space Center.
National Air and Space Museum
Usage conditions apply
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