|
Author
|
Topic: Apollo 13 heat shield fragment in dome
|
Ianhetho
Member Posts: 219
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018
|
posted 08-03-2021 03:23 AM
   
I have recently acquired an Apollo 13 heat shield fragment in a display dome.I purchased it from a fellow collector who was unable to give any information on the item as it was purchased decades ago. It's part of an impressive collection and I believe it to be legit, however I have been unable to find any information on this item online except a photo of a similar display with an Apollo 11 plaque. The fragment seems to be lightweight and brittle. The mount for the fragment has a lucite base. The dome is glass and the base is wood. The display itself is quite small and I have added a US banknote in one of the photos for scale. Please if anybody has any information on my item please feel free to share.  
|
Joel Katzowitz
Member Posts: 840
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 08-18-2021 04:30 PM
I have a similar looking piece of Apollo 13 heat shield that I got from Ken Havekotte. However, it didn't come in a display like yours. It was given to me in a small (maybe 1" cube) plastic box with an Apollo 13 sticker on it. |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4386
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 08-18-2021 05:58 PM
I acquired an identical piece about 35 years ago. From memory I bought it from Paul Hartunian some time in the mid to late 80s. I sold it circa 1999. Unless somebody can come up with something to the contrary I think this is one and the same piece. Even the white residue showing through the square lucite block looks familiar. |
TRS
Member Posts: 730
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Registered: Mar 2003
|
posted 08-18-2021 08:39 PM
I think you sold it to me.  My records form the time are sketchy but I know it came from a UK cS member. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3295
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
|
posted 08-18-2021 09:34 PM
It will have to be personally examined if I was handing it. It looks similar to segments of an Apollo Command Module aft heat shield, so a better examination is needed, just to make sure it isn't a piece of coal/charcoal or something else. |
Ianhetho
Member Posts: 219
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018
|
posted 08-18-2021 11:22 PM
Wow thanks guys. Looks like I've got a good line of ownership at least.Ken would you need to examine the piece in person to verify the material? Or would some close up shots suffice? |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4386
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 08-19-2021 02:50 AM
I could have sworn I bought it from Paul Hartunian but then again I did have dealings with Ken at the time also. It was nearly 40 years ago... |
prpro
Member Posts: 93
From: Hope, NJ USA
Registered: Mar 2013
|
posted 08-19-2021 07:24 AM
This appears to be one of a small number of displays I made almost 40 years ago. I purchased the heat shield material from Ken then I sold the remaining material back to Ken in recent years. |
Ianhetho
Member Posts: 219
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018
|
posted 09-09-2021 02:36 PM
Update: I tested the piece by placing it by a low voltage proximity censor with a short range of about 10-15mm used for moving machinery. The prox did not read the heat shield fragment. Should the heat shield fragment be metallic? Are my findings a bad sign? |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3295
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
|
posted 09-09-2021 03:09 PM
If this exact heat shield fragment can be traced back to my firm, since I never did offer a heat shield dome display for any of those that I had, it had been acquired a few decades ago from Apollo CM-109 early in my career. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46980
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 09-09-2021 04:08 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Ianhetho:
Should the heat shield fragment be metallic?
Apollo heat shield was AVCOAT, an epoxy resin, held in a fiberglas honeycomb. The AVCOAT was an ablator, designed to burn off as the capsule was exposed to increasing heat. |
advertisement