Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

This toy in the shape of a Space Shuttle shows how visually identifable those long-serving spacecraft have become. From the first mission (STS-1) in 1981 until the present, the Space Shuttle has served as the primary vehicle for human spaceflight for NASA. Its distinctive outline and covering of white and black tiles has become the icon of American spaceflight in the late 20th Century. As a result, although this small, friction-powered sparking toy lacks many of the specific details featured on the exterior of an actual orbiter, it is immediately recognizable as a Shuttle toy because of its shape and coloring.

Valerie Neal, the National Air and Space Museum curator who oversees the Shuttle era collection, donated this toy to the National Collection in 2003.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin China Type MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture Manufacturer Jimmy Toys
 Dimensions 3-D (Package): 27.9 x 15.2 x 7.6cm (11 x 6 x 3 in.)
3-D (Toy): 13.3 x 10.2 x 7.6cm (5 1/4 x 4 x 3 in.)
 Materials shuttle: plastic
package: cardboard, plastic
 Inventory Number A20040074000 Credit Line Gift of Valerie Neal Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.