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Author
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Topic: Victorinox Swiss Army knives in space
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Gilbert
Member Posts: 1394
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 05-11-2011 12:21 PM
   
Does anyone know what model or style of the Swiss Army knife is used by space shuttle astronauts during flights? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46054
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-11-2011 12:30 PM
From Victorinox's website: - Into Space with the Shuttle
...my brother flew with a Master Craftsman Swiss Army Knife as part of his equipment. He, and all the other astronauts, were given a knife like this so they could use it during their flight. My brother needed this knife for a number of tasks during the flight . He was full of praise for the Master Craftsman because it functioned well even under the difficult conditions of space flight - weightlessness. - Repairs in Space
As the spokesman for the mission, James Hartsfield, explained, the Victorinox Army Officer's Knife is standard equipment for all astronauts. "We give each astronaut a Swiss Army Officer's Knife and they carry it with them on board. It's been with every mission right from the outset." The knives made for the astronauts at Victorinox are no different to the standard pocket-knives anyone can buy. In Hartsfield's words: The knife accomplished its task well.
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kyra
Member Posts: 584
From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 05-12-2011 12:59 PM
This standard issue knife is based on the Master Craftsman (Model 5044/Swiss#1.47 63). NASA ordered 50 of these in 1978 and they were "upgraded" with an very similar version, the Astronaut (Model 5049) when that supply ran out. The main differences between these two models being the Astronaut had a phillips screwdriver and an embossed shuttle on the handle. Sadly, it was discontinued in 1990, as was the Master Craftsman model. I did find that there were some Astronaut models still selling from sellers in Japan. I have not resolved if these are authentic or whether these are actual overstock due to how the knives are distributed internationally.
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Philip
Member Posts: 6093
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 04-20-2021 08:31 AM
Do we know when the first Swiss Army knife (e.g. well-known red-colored Victorinox) was used in space? Perhaps Skylab in 1973?Editor's note: Threads merged. |
328KF
Member Posts: 1310
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 04-20-2021 04:01 PM
In this post flight report, on page 33, the Skylab 4 crew expressed a desire for "a file on the Swiss Army knife." This would indicate that they had a model of the knife aboard, but it was one that lacked the file feature. |
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