Space-Worn Garments Purchased For 20 Cents Each By Two College Students

Two college students rummaging through bins at a Titusville, FL thrift store hit the jackpot when they came across five blue space-worn NASA flight suits and a white "control" suit. Now, the suits may be helping fund their educations.

The suits were found at the bottom of a bin of winter sweaters by 20-year-old Talia Rappa, and Skyer Ashworth, 24. They bought the suits for 20 cents each during a closeout sale at the store. The suits have been valued at as much as $5,000 each, according to a report from television station WKMG in Orlando, FL.

The suits have been traced to astronauts George “Pinky” Nelson, PhD, Robert A. Parker, PhD, and Charles D. Walker, a payload specialist, along with dates corresponding to shuttle missions between 1983 and 1985, according to experts at the American Space Museum.

Both students hope to be involved in the space program in some way. Rappa told WKMG that she is studying astrophysics at the University of Central Florida, and hopes to be part of the Mars mission. Ashworth has recently been accepted into an aerospace program at Eastern Florida State College. He said his parents and his grandfather all worked for NASA during the shuttle program.

Rappa and Ashworth plan to sell the suits at an auction conducted by the American Space Museum November 4. Some proceeds will go to the museum, while other money raised will go towards the students' college tuition funds.

FMI: spacewalkoffame.org