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.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
United States of America
SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Parts & Structural Components
Frank Borman
James A. Lovell Jr.
McDonnell Aircraft Corp.
3-D: 10.2 × 10.2 × 5.1cm (4 × 4 × 2 in.)
Silicone elastomer honeycomb ablating layer
A19680273001
Transferred from NASA
National Air and Space Museum
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