Going to the bathroom while in space wearing heavy suits and other gear has always been a problem. In some of the early missions this was not addressed :

‘“Although Glenn did not understand the physics and physiology of urination in space, he was wearing the first in a long series of NASA UCDs [urine collection devices]. As B.F. Goodrich had not been able to produce a successful UCD, McBarron and his team, consisting of Al Rochford and Joe Schmitt of the Manned Spaceflight Center Suit Laboratory, developed the first successful UCD used by the Mercury astronauts. The suit laboratory was responsible for ensuring that the astronauts were properly equipped . McBarron modified condoms to create an external catheter…’

Although this is an early example of research many designs and prototypes were proposed and made. This particular UCD is made by the C.R Bard Inc who was a maker of urine catheter devices and had been contracted by NASA this was one R & D proposal. The garment is unused and in pretty good condition given the age. The latex is hard in some areas as expected but the fabric is in excellent shape.

Piece came from a private collection who’s primary focus is Apollo items and was previously obtained from Superior Galleries November 1993 Space Memorabilia Auction. UCT garment comes with Lot# tag, Auction catalog snipe, and auction tag on garment . This came from the same collection as the (LCVG) Liquid Cooled Ventilation Garment that is listed separately.