I was 4 years old and living in Florida at the time. Whenever there was a launch we could see it from our front yard. My mom told me to go outside and watch for the shuttle so I did. I clearly remember seeing the huge puffs of white smoke from the explosions.
It looks like it would be for squeezing and clamping something together. I would guess it's some sort of tourniquet used in surgeries. Possibly for clamping the umbilical cord after a mother gives birth.