The delay cutter in an important recovery tool that cuts the parachute cable on the rocket boosters as they are returning to earth. It does this with a pyrotechnic triggering mechanism that initiates the timed cutting sequence. There are a series of parachutes that are deployed in a sequence and some are cut to allow the following series of chutes to deploy. The video below shows this type of step deployment. What makes this cutter hardware unique is that it is from the historic STS-41G Challenger mission that was the first to include two female astronauts Sally Ride and Kathryn Sullivan and where Sullivan became the first American woman to space walk. Cutter is dated (DOM -Date of Mission’ 10-84) the month and year this mission took place. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space during the STS-41G mission and is a veteran of three shuttle missions.

This is a flown piece of hardware and is marked with red paint after flight to indicate it is not to be re-used. It also includes a piece of the parachute cord that it cut off.