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 Scarbo SVF1 Although the Scarbo SVF1 Prototype looks like a ’60s Formula 1 car, it’s actually an entirely modern creation, fitted with a 425 hp GM Performance all-aluminum LS1 6.2 litre V8 and weighing in at a feather-light 1,280 pounds. The car is the work of Joe Scarbo, a California State Polytechnic University mechanical engineer and…
Don’t Die In The Woods claim that this is the “World’s Toughest Ultralight Survival Tent”, and as far as we can tell, they’re right. Each tent is made from NASA-developed extra-thick HeatFlex™ mylar, with a bright orange outer section to help attract rescue crews, and the silver heat-reflecting side facing inwards. Mylar reflects as much…
Although a good first aid kit isn’t considered particularly rock n’ roll, it is an essential item for any adventure – from an afternoon hike in some local hills to an overlanding expedition to Victoria Falls. The Large Metal First Aid Kit built by Best Made is designed to be an all-in-one solution containing everything…
The Huckberry DIY Survival Tin is packed full of survival essentials and designed to be a small, lightweight addition to your backpack, pocket, or glovebox that might just save your life. Each kit includes a steel storage tin wrapped in 10 ft of red paracord with a braided fishing line and a jute firestarter in…
This is the leather bound scroll edition of the Baja Map, a roll-out map of the Baja Peninsula that includes all of the major cities, towns, landmarks, and roadways. Although it’ll most often be used by those who buy it as a wall hanging, it’s designed to be actively used in the field. Each one…
The Randolph Aviator Sunglasses (and their almost identical forbear) have been standard issue to all US astronauts and fighter pilots since 1958, officially known as the Flight Goggle 58. The optical manufacturer was established in the small town of Randolph just outside of Boston, Massachusetts and quickly became famous for their almost indestructible frame joints…
