Skylab Tool Kit #2 (USA)

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution as part of Tools: Extending Our Reach.

When the Skylab Orbital Workshop—the United States’ first space-station—was launched into low Earth orbit in May 1973, planners at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had to imagine the tools crew members might require for lengthy stays on the spacecraft. Three separate crews of three astronauts each occupied the spacecraft until February 1974, with the last and longest stay eighty-four days. The lack of direct experience provisioning crews for long-durations meant turning to familiar tools, resembling those found in garages and workshops all over the country. Velcro® tabs on the implements and incised trays in the drawers helped to secure the tools in a zero-gravity environment.
NASA provided several onboard kits, which contained a variety of tools that planners anticipated might be needed to maintain the spacecraft and its equipment. This was a backup for the one used on Skylab Orbital Workshop.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Tools: Extending Our Reach.