Desirable pair of cosmonaut gloves from a Sokol-KV2 Rescue Suit suit made for Valeri Polyakov, holder of humanity's record for the longest single stay in space. Identification tags sewn into the wrist sections bear his initials, "ВВП," with parts numbers above, "ГП-7A-116-030330." Serial numbers are also etched into the insides of the blue anodized wrist coupling. The glove is comprised of white nylon canvas atop a custom-molded rubber hand that is reinforced with leather in the palm. Between the leather and rubber are metal reinforcement bars that prevent the glove from distending while under pressure. In fine condition, with general wear from use. Trained as a medical doctor, Polyakov first went to space in 1988 for a 240-day stay on the Mir space station. He then spent more than 14 months on board the Mir space station from 1994-1995, in an effort to learn about how the human body would respond to the micro-gravity environment on long-duration missions to Mars.
Provenance: The Spaceflight America Museum and Science Center in Prince Frederick, MD, and accompanied by the museum's display placard, which describes these gloves as flown and worn on his historic, record-setting flight.
