To survive the reentry into the Earth's atmosphere at a velocity of over 17,000 mph, all human spacecraft until the space shuttle used ablative heat shields based on technology developed for nuclear missile nosecones. The blunt end created a shock wave that held off the majority of the heating, but the ionized gases behind the shock wave nonetheless heated the shield to a temperature of several thousand degrees. This heat was carried away by the ablation (charring and evaporation) of the heat shield material. This sample shows the construction of the Gemini heat shield, and how the surface charred as it ablated. It apparently comes from the Gemini 7 spacecraft in which astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell spent 14 days in space from December 4 - 18, 1965.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Parts & Structural Components

Astronaut

Frank Borman
James A. Lovell Jr.

Manufacturer

McDonnell Aircraft Corp.

Dimensions

3-D: 10.2 × 10.2 × 5.1cm (4 × 4 × 2 in.)

Materials

Silicone elastomer honeycomb ablating layer

Inventory Number

A19680273001

Credit Line

Transferred from NASA

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

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