Crew Shirt, Shuttle, STS-8, Guy Bluford

Astronaut Guion S. "Guy" Bluford, Jr. wore this shirt during the six-day Space Shuttle STS-8 mission aboard Challenger in August-September 1983, when he became the first African American in space. Astronauts live and work comfortably in a normal crew cabin atmosphere or "shirt-sleeve environment" aboard the Space Shuttle. In the early 1980s astronauts on each mission wore identical dark blue knit shirts. The only difference was the unique patch for each mission crew. NASA presented Guy Bluford's complete in-flight suit to the Museum shortly after the STS-8 mission.