Gloves, Pair, SpaceShipOne, Mike Melvill

Test pilot Mike Melvill wore these flyer's gloves during his history-making flights on SpaceShipOne in June and September, 2004. He became the first person to fly a privately developed spacecraft beyond the atmosphere and the first person awarded commercial astronaut wings. For these experimental flights in a rocket ship, he chose a suit and gloves made of super-fire-resistant material. Melvill gave his flight suit, helmet, and accessories to the Museum in 2005 when SpaceShipOne entered the national collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft.