Each hand-cut specimen is housed in an acrylic jar and ships in a classic, glass-topped riker display case. Specimens measure roughly 1x1cm in size though variations may occur. As pictured, some specimens will have black seams while others will be completely white. A small information card is also included, which serves as the certificate of authenticity.

Please Note: References to disposition paperwork on the specimen card are for context only. All original paperwork resides in the Mini Museum Collection. See information on the original artifact below.

"As we are bringing our space ships closer together, we are bringing our nations closer together. The next time we approach, we will shake your hand and together we will lead our world into the next millennium." ~ Discovery Commander James Wetherbee

"We are one. We are human." ~ Mir 17 Commander Alexander Viktorenko

Dialogue between the Space Shuttle Discovery and Space Station Mir during the rendezvous of Mission STS-63

As noted above, this specimen is a fragment from a mission-flown payload liner of the Discovery. Made of fire-resistant beta cloth, this material covered insulation and kept the payload area clean and pristine.

In addition to keeping things looking tidy, the payload bay liner also prevented possible dust cross-contamination between the Orbiter's systems from the cargo.

Please Note: The item on offer above is a fragment of this mission-flown payload bay liner. The original scrap tags and documentation remain in the Mini Museum collection. Photos here are provided for context only.

"The Space Shuttle Program Payload Bay Payload User's Guide" (NSTS 2149) describes the payload bay and the liner as follows:

"The payload bay is, with a few exceptions, a smooth surface with filtered vents, lights, and flush-mounted wire trays. The standard configuration displays a patchwork of thermal control blankets in the lower half of the payload bay, and when required a liner of tightly woven Teflon-coated Beta Cloth is installed in 6-foot widths over the blankets to form a barrier between the payload bay and the equipment bay in the lower part of the mid fuselage. The liner covers almost 1500 square feet of the payload bay’s 3300 square feet of surface area."

NASA disposition paperwork received with this item indicates this particular piece of the payload liner was removed after Discovery’s mission to deploy numerous science instruments (STS-85), which flew on August 7, 1997.

With a career that spanned nearly three decades from 1984 to 2011, the Space Shuttle Discovery accrued more space flights than any other craft in the program. Discovery orbited the Earth 5,830 times, traveling approximately 150 million miles. During its service, the Discovery carried the Hubble Telescope into orbit (STS-31) and took on the hundredth shuttle mission (STS-92).

The shuttle weighed about 170 thousand pounds, boasting a wingspan of about 80 feet and a length of about 120 feet. Today, the Discovery can be found at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Fairfax County, Virginia. Coincidentally, this is very close to Mini Museum HQ so the Discovery holds a special place in our hearts!