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Flight suit worn by Charles F. Bolden during his first spaceflight

Object Details

Caption
Charles F. Bolden graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968 and become a Marine Corps aviator, flying more than 100 combat missions over Southeast Asia. In 1980 he was selected a NASA astronaut and flew four space missions. Bolden was eventually appointed the 12th Administrator of NASA. He retired in 2003 as a major general.
Description
A blue full body flight suit worn by Charles F. Bolden Jr. The suit zippers in the front and has several pockets and patches on it. The front of the suit has three patches on the chest. On the PR breast is the mission patch for STS 61C and features a circular design with an image of the space shuttle and a band displaying the names of the mission's astronauts. On the PR breast is a circular NASA logo patch, above which is a leather nametag reading [CHARLES BOLDEN / MAJOR USMC]. The nametag is a dark leather with golden text and pilot's insignia. On the PR shoulder is a circular patch for the 1980 NASA Astronaut Groups 9, which features the year and a space shuttle launching with nineteen white stars. The PL shoulder has an American flag patch. There are Velcro straps at the waist and zippered sections on the arms and legs for adjustments. The legs have a number of zippered pockets. A manufacturer's tag with handwritten details is sewn to the inside of the suit.
Date
1986
Manufactured by
Gibson & Barnes, American, founded 1977
Worn by
Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., American, born 1946
Issued by
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, American, founded 1958
Place made
El Cajon, San Diego County, California, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Aeronautics
Clothing and dress
Military
Science
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Clothing - Military Uniforms
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., USMC (Ret)
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.243.4
Type
coveralls
uniforms
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
cloth, metal, leather
Dimensions
On form: 57 1/2 × 16 3/4 × 9 in. (146.1 × 42.5 × 22.9 cm)
Record ID
nmaahc_2014.243.4
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd54e2b5621-ed3a-48dc-a71a-50ee18029dd4

Related Object Groups

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    Afrofuturism

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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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