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Mercury Sigma 7 Flown Heatshield Artifact - Launch Image

Mercury Sigma 7 Flown Heatshield Artifact - Launch Image

A genuine segment of Sigma 7 flown heatshield from the Mercury-Atlas 7 spacecraft and comes attached to a mission photograph of the spacecraft lifting off from the launchpad.

Archive Id MS7-SFH-1

DESCRIPTION

This artifact presentation contains a genuine piece of Mercury Sigma 7 space flown heatshield and is attached to a mission photograph of the Mercury-Atlas 8 launch.

Built of honeycombed aluminum with many layers of glass-fiber material, the heatshield would boil away as the Mercury capsule descended through the atmosphere as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere. As the silica material (fiberglass) melted, it deposited a white residue on its surface, resembling icing.

Product Information:

  • Segment of genuine Sigma 7 capsule heatshield
  • Attached to an 8" x 8" Sigma 7 mission photograph of the rocket lifting off from the launchpad
  • Printed on original glossy Fuji Crystal Archive Supreme® paper (226µ, 238 gr/m²)
  • Includes certificate of authenticity with holographic logo and company stamp
  • Comes sealed in a clear protective 8" x 10" toploader

Authentication Information:

The space flown material came from the collection of NASA Production Control Engineer W.R. Whipkey. The heatshield was gifted to Whipkey in 1962 after being removed from the capsule post-flight.

Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity:

All of our artifacts are thoroughly and extensively researched before being listed for sale, so much so that we're proud to offer a lifetime guarantee of authenticity for this and other artifacts listed throughout our website. We also hold a record of every piece we sell which can be identified and searched in our online database using the serial number listed on your certificate of authenticity.