Space Shuttle Discovery Payload Bay Liner in Wood Display

🚀 Own a Piece of American Space History 🚀

This specimen is a fragment from the space-flown payload bay liner of Space Shuttle Discovery's 1999 Hubble Repair Mission. 

In December of 1999, the Space Shuttle Discovery was tasked with saving the Hubble Space Telescope. Four of Hubble's six gyroscopes had failed, halting all science observations. Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying a payload of six replacement gyroscopes, a new and faster Hubble main computer, and other upgrades for the telescope. Over the course of 3 space walks, Discovery's crew repaired and upgraded Hubble in orbit, then returned to Kennedy 8 days after it had left.

Discovery's payload bay is lined with fire-resistant beta cloth, which covers insulation and keeps the payload area clean and pristine. Beta cloth is a white, PTFE-impregnated glass cloth with a tight weave that protects against the destructive effects of atmospheric oxygen and was heavily used in both the Space Shuttles and International Space Station.

Each fragment of beta cloth is enclosed in a protective clear jar mounted in a custom wood and acrylic display. The fragment measures about 1 centimeter in size, and may be all white or include sections of black stitching. A rare opportunity to own a tangible piece of the third and most-flown Space Shuttle Orbiter —authentic, storied, and beautifully presented.