posted 07-01-2018 05:00 PM               

(On several of them, and on several of the shuttle-era pieces I'll be posting tomorrow, you'll see yellow tags attached with blue string. They were put there by space writer Phill Parker, who sold his collection back in 2013.)

First, a part labeled "X-15." (They get easier to identify after this one.)

posted 07-01-2018 05:01 PM               

It's a green bag, clearly labeled PLSS CABLE on one side, with two metal plates covering the other side, and a zipper along the middle. A long strip of Velcro takes up the side opposite the zipper, as if to hold it in place in the spacecraft during zero-G.

A metal plate on the display case, made by the owner at some point, reads GEMINI PLSS CABLE COVER. But was anything during Gemini called the Personal Life Support System? Of course there were EVAs during Gemini, but those depended on the spacecraft for air through hoses. But if it's Apollo, what's up with the green color?

Stenciled or stamped in black on the green bag is V36-601075.

posted 07-01-2018 05:02 PM               

Astronaut Knife - M-1. The Case knife company made these for astronauts to carry on Apollo in case of a crash landing, but also made hundreds of extras which they sold in framed displays. I'd like to know if there's any way of knowing if mine was actually made for use by NASA. The fact that it's not in a frame doesn't mean anything - it could have just been taken out.

But on every one of those framed displays that I can find online, the serial number is hard to read, while the rest of the writing is deep and clear. On mine, it's the opposite:

After the Apollo 1 fire, the handles were made of aluminum, but before that they were white poly like on mine. (If you want to read more, go to this website and search for "NASA Knives." It's a long paragraph, but informative, with a couple of pictures.

posted 07-01-2018 05:03 PM               

And finally, what I think is a white room bootie, worn by ground support just outside the spacecraft on the launch pad.

It's made of what seems to be beta cloth, but thick and strong enough to stand up on its own:

posted 07-01-2018 05:33 PM               

The one modification is the addition of the lanyard after removal from the display box. It's possible that if a makeshift sheath was ever used with it, that may have resulted in the wearing of the "mass produced" engraving while the individual edition number was more deeply engraved so held up better.

posted 03-28-2020 11:06 AM               

• part that was labeled "X-15";
  
• solenoid valve;
  
• white bootie; or
  
• subject of the painting.