Artifact: Gemini 5 flown heatshield presentation
Date of use: 21. Aug. 1965 - 29. Aug. 1965.
Manufacturer: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.
Dimensions: 20.2 x 25.2 (fragment: 1.1 x 0.5 cm).

Program: Gemini.
Flown Status: flown.

Description:

Small fragment of Gemini 5's heatshield. Like those of other early human spacecraft, Gemini's heat shield derived from ballistic-missile warhead technology. The dish-shaped shield created a shock wave in the atmosphere that held off most of the heat. The rest dissipated by ablation: charring and evaporation of the shield's surface. Ablative heat shields are not reusable.

Gemini 5 at the Johnson Space Center. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The Gemini heatshield utilized a paste-like silicone elastomer material as its ablative substance, which hardened upon being poured into a honeycomb structure. This heatshield was specifically engineered to safeguard the delicate spacecraft from the immense heat generated during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The process of reentry commenced at a velocity exceeding 27,500 kilometers (17,000 miles) per hour.

Gemini 5:
Gemini 5, launched in 1965 as part of NASA's Project Gemini, marked a significant milestone in American space exploration. This crewed mission was the third in the Gemini series and the eleventh manned spaceflight by the United States (including two X-15 flights surpassing 100 kilometers). Moreover, it was the nineteenth human spaceflight ever conducted.

A remarkable achievement of Gemini 5 was that it set a new world record for mission duration, establishing American dominance in crewed space missions. On August 26, 1965, Command Pilot Gordon Cooper and Pilot Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. broke the previous record set by the Soviet Union's Vostok 5 in 1963. The American crew held the title for the longest space mission at that time.

Unfortunately, the duration of Gemini V could have been even longer if it were not for the interference of Hurricane Betsy. The approaching storm forced the mission to be cut short, preventing the crew from extending their time in space by another day.

Artifact: Guenter Wendt signed photo
Artifact Category: photograh, autograph
Dimensions: 8.9 x 12.4 cm

Description: Günter F. Wendt (also spelled Guenter Wendt; August 28, 1923 – May 3, 2010) was a German-born American mechanical engineer noted for his work in the U.S. human spaceflight program. An employee of McDonnell Aircraft and later North American Aviation, he was in charge of the spacecraft close-out crews at the launch pads for the entire Mercury and Gemini programs (1961–1966) and the crewed phases of the Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo–Soyuz programs (1968–1975) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). His official title was Pad Leader.

In NASA documentary films, Wendt appears as the bespectacled, thin man in a bow-tie and white cap and coat, usually standing near the hatch, clipboard in hand; or bending over seated crew members, pulling their safety harnesses snug for launch.

Within the White Room atop the gantry on Launch Complex 39 Pad A, the Apollo 11 astronauts egress from the Apollo spacecraft after participation in the Countdown Demonstration Test. In the foreground of the photograph is Astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Pad leader Guenter Wendt talks with Neil Armstrong. Astronaut Michael Collins stands to the left of Armstrong. Credit: NASA.

More information:

Guenter Wendt - Wikipedia

Item: Gemini 4 flown silver fragment presentation
Size: 9 x 6 mm (fragment) 17 x 23 cm presentation.


Description: triangle swatch of silver material mounted on a 7x9'' rigid foam board certified on the backside. Gemini 4 was the second manned mission of the Gemini program and carried James McDivitt and Edward White ro Earth orbit on a 4-day flight from in June, 1965. The mission included the first American spacewalk: Astronaut Edward White II performed the first American EVA while James McDivitt remained inside the capsule.

The source of the silver plates is Jim McDivitt's personal collection.

This edition is limited to 50 presentations only.

Item: Gemini 9 launch cover with flown heatshield fragments
Size: Size: 16.5 x 9.3 cm.

Description:

Cover with flown pieces of heatshield flown on Gemini 9A.

Gemini 9A (officially Gemini IX-A) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the seventh manned Gemini flight, the 13th manned American flight, and the 23rd spaceflight of all time (includes X-15 flights over 100 kilometers (62 mi)). The original crew of Gemini 9, pilot in command Elliot See and pilot Charles Bassett, were killed in an accident on February 28, 1966 while flying a T-38 trainer jet to the McDonnell Aircraft plant in St. Louis, Missouri to inspect their spacecraft. Their deaths promoted the backup crew, Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene Cernan, to the prime crew. The mission was renamed Gemini 9A after the original May 17 launch was scrapped when the mission's Agena target vehicle was destroyed after a launch failure. The mission was conducted from June 3 to 6, 1966, after the launch of the backup Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA). Stafford and Cernan encountered the ATDA, but were unable to dock because the nose fairing had not ejected from the docking target due to a launch preparation error. Cernan conducted a two-hour extravehicular activity, during which he was planned to demonstrate free flight in an autonomous rocket package, the USAF Astronaut Maneuvering Unit. He was unable to accomplish this due to stress, fatigue, and overheating.

Gemini 9A spacecraft on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center. Source: Wikimedia Commons.