Until very recently I wasn’t aware that NASA’s Gemini astronauts were issued with switchblades for emergency use, it’s likely that the knives were intended to be used in the result of a crash landing in a forest or jungle rather than the ocean as planned. Soviet cosmonauts from the same era were issued with machetes for much the same reason.
The knife you see here spent 25 hours and 52 minutes in space on the Gemini 6 mission in late 1965, it was made by Camilus of New York and it still bears it original NASA serial numbers and documentation. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid on it you can click here to visit RR Auction.
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
The Sparco Slalom RB-3 Classic Racing Boots have FIA 8856-2000 and SFI 3.3/5 type approval for use in motorsport competition, even though they can be worn for fully-fledged racing they’re most often worn by gentleman (and lady) drivers in amateur competition, on track days, and on spirited weekend drives. Each pair is made from high-quality…
This feature documentary titled Trip Through The River Rouge Plant offers a fascinating insight into the world famous Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan. At the time of its construction the River Rouge Plant was the single largest factory in the world, it was intended for automobile production however the first vehicles produced there were actually Eagle-class…
The Nardi Classic Steering Wheel is a design that’s immediately recognizable to anyone with an interest in vintage motoring, Nardi wheels have been used extensively in Ferraris dating back to the 1950s, they’ve also graced the steering columns of cars from Lancia, Audi, Maserati, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Lotus, TVR, McLaren, Volkswagen, Abarth, and BMW….
The Pilot Racer Jacket by Vaktare M.G. was designed as a modern motorcyclist’s equivalent of the iconic WWII fighter pilot and bomber crew flight jacket. The team at Vaktare M.G. make all of their jackets in Los Angeles by hand in small batches to keep a close eye on quality. The Pilot Racer jacket uses…
Background: The Beginnings of Ford Motor Company Henry Ford’s Model T was the visionary breakthrough that brought motor vehicle ownership to millions of ordinary middle class people and opened up a new era of mobility for people and goods. In an era when the horse and the railroad reigned supreme as the means of land…
This Husqvarna 13 inch wooden hatchet isn’t something many of us would link with the Swedish company, who are far more famous for their motorcycles than their wood-cutting products. Interestingly Husqvarna started out in 1689 as a weapons foundry in Sweden before expanding out into bicycles, motorcycles, and a broader range of products in the…
