Penlight, Shuttle, STS 51-D, Garn

Shuttle astronauts carry a variety of small equipment with them during a mission to aid their many tasks. One handy device is a flashlight small enough to fit in a pocket, ready to be used for peering into experiments or focusing light on a repair task. Senator Jake Garn (Utah) used this penlight when he flew on the STS 51-D Shuttle mission in 1985. Velcro was added to the light, like most items used in space, so astronauts can put them down and keep them from floating around in weightlessness.NASA transferred this item to the Museum in 1985.