Glove, Space Shuttle, Left, Sullivan

Astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, wore these extravehicular activity (EVA) gloves on the STS 41-G Space Shuttle mission in 1984, when she left the crew cabin to work in the Challenger payload bay. Spacesuit gloves are made of many layers of latex, foil, and tough fabric for insulation and protection, yet they are flexible enough for the astronauts to handle tools and do tasks with their fingers. Because the gloves are the most heavily used spacesuit part, they must be absolutely durable against wear and tear. Astronauts' lives depend on them. NASA transferred these gloves, stamped inside with Kathy Sullivan's abbreviation SV, after she left the astronaut corps.