Artifact: Apollo 15 flown voice and data tape segment.
Date of use: July 26, 1971 - August 7, 1971.
Dimensions: 2.58 x 8 cm (tape sample), 21.6 x 28 cm (presentation).
Flown Status: flown.

Description:

Voice and data tape segment (34/200) flown around the Moon on Apollo 15. The reel was lot #539, purchased at auction in the Spring of 2000 by collector Mike Smithwick. It comes with copies of its corresponding documentation, which includes transit tags, bonded storage documents and laboratory reports.

The Data Storage Equipment (DSE) recorded the voice and data aboard the Command Module. It included two eight-inch (20.32 cm) reels that that spooled through read-write heads approximately 2,250 feet (685.5 m) of one-inch Mylar magnetic tape. The 14-track tape had a storage capacity of over four hours of voice and data.

DSE (Data Storage Equipment). Credit: Photo: S66-22993. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

The DSE (Data Storage Equipment) was used during the crucial Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn performed by the Command and Service Module (CSM) while situated on the opposite side of the Moon, beyond the reach of Earth communication, and during re-entry. Throughout this interval, the DSE recorded the dialogue of the crew, as well as critical data related to the engine and system operations. Subsequently, these recorded inputs were transmitted to the ground for detailed engineering assessment as the spacecraft flew into Earthrise and reestablished radio contact with Mission Control.

More information:

Spaceholic.com - Artifact: Data Recorder, Apollo Command Module Data Storage Equipment (DSE), Block II

Artifact: STS-118 flown seeds on 5x7 card presentation.
Date of use: August 8, 2007 - August 21, 2007.
Dimensions: 10.1 x 15.1 cm.
Flown Status: flown.

Description:

Basil seeds flown on STS-118 on card presentation. These seeds were returned to Earth as part of the STS-118/13A. 1 mission in which Astronaut Barbara Morgan initiated the grown cycle of basil seeds inside the ISS. The seeds were sent to school children for them to plant and observe the differences between seeds exposed to space and seeds that have remained on Earth.

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: NASA patch with Mercury 7 preprinted signatures presentation.
Manufacturer: AB Emblem.
Dimensions: patch: 2¾" / 68mm / Presentation: 20.2 x 25.5 cm.
Program: Mercury.

Description:

NASA AB Emblem patch presentation with preprinted Mercury 7 autographs. It was originally part of a collectors book of space patches, complete with an embroidered NASA vector patch attached above the signatures. The signatures are quite convincing and often mistaken for genuine signatures.

At the bottom of the presentation it reads: "Property of A-B Emblem Corp. May not be reproduced."

More information:

Crew Patch Reference Guide: Mercury 7

Crew Patch Reference Guide: NASA

Artifact: BFGoodrich Space Shuttle tire presentation
Size: 20 x 13.5 (total dimensions of the presentation with the model of the Space Shuttle in different positions), base: 15 x 8.9 cm, tire section: 7 x 5 x 2.9 cm.
Weight: 598 grs for the whole presentation. Tire fragment: 98 grs.
Manufacturer: BFGoodrich

Flown status: unflown.

Description: unflown section of a Space Shuttle tire.

BFGoodrich Tires and BFGoodrich-owned Cleveland Pneumatics developed the landing gear for NASA as a package. They began work in 1972 and went through two major design iterations before taking flight in 1981. Coming in at a whopping 34-ply rating, the second-generation tire’s task was to provide more payload ability, more crosswind reduction, more shock absorption, and more runway traction.

The tire presentation was assembled for BFGoodrich. The reason for there being so few of them is that they were just being given out at the time of the Challenger disaster and BFGoodrich pulled the plug on them.

It is not known how many were given out, but many of them were first sent to Japan. It is also assumed that some were kept by the headquarters and given to NASA people.  

The plaque says: "First Space Shuttle Flight, April 12, 1981 Shuttle 'Columbia'. Tires, wheels and brakes for all space shuttles are supplied by BFGoodrich. The globe contains a section of an actual space shuttle tire."

More information:

CollectSpace.com

Item: Apollo beta cloth.
Size: 21 x 29.2 cm (presentation). 2.9 x 3.2 cm. (fragment).

Description: Attached to this presentation is a segment of beta cloth dating from the 1960's as used in NASA's Apollo space program.

Beta cloth, a woven fiberglass fabric, was developed following the Apollo 1 fire. It could protect against temperatures up to 650°C, and was incorporated into the Apollo/Skylab A7L space suits giving astronauts a better chance to escape a launch pad fire. The beta cloth was coated with Teflon to increase durability and prohibit abrasion during use.

The Apollo space suit, produced by ILC, was comprised of three major parts, an inner layer for comfort, a middle pressure garment layer and an ouer layer known as the thermal micrometeroid garment (TMG). The TMG contained multiple layers of aluminized mylar and fabrics to reflect radiation and reduce thermal conductivity. This was encapsulated by the outer most layer which was covered in beta cloth fabric.

Item: Apollo 16 Kapton tape from the Lunar Module Orion.
Size: 21 x 29.2 cm (presentation). 1.5 x 1.9 cm & 1.5 x 2.3 cm. (fragments).

Description: attached to this certificate are two pieces of light weight pressure sensitive Kaptopn polymide thermal insulation trimmed from the Apollo 16 Lunar Module "Orion" during construction by a Grumman worker. They were part of the thermal protection system of "Orion" and intended to protect it from the extreme heat and cold of outer space. Apollo 16 was the tenth manned Apollo mission and the fifth to land on the Moon. It was crewed by John Young, Charlie Duke and Ken Mattingly. Launched on April 16 1972, the mission lasted 11 days, 1 hour and 51 minutes and concluded on April 27, 1972.

Item: Apollo Program recognition plate

Size: 12 x 1.5.
Origin: NASA Space Manned Center (SMC).
Material: Bronze.

Description: This plate was awarded to employees of the Apollo Program. It has the inscription "For your contribution to the first manned lunar landing" and an image of an astronaut on the lunar surface.

Item: Presentation plate of the TIROS satellites

Size: 23 x 23 x 2 cm.

Weight: 409 grs.

Description: Presentation plate of the TIROS (Television InfraRed Observation Satellite) satellites from 1960 to 1967 and ESSA-1 (Environmental Science Services Administration) and ESSA-2, both launched in 1966. Material: glass, in cardboard box.