This is a small sample of thermal shield tile removed from the Columbia Space Shuttle. The sample is part of a tile that was flown on the STS-94 mission which lasted from July 1st to the July 17th, 1994. The tile was damaged on this mission and removed afterwards by NASA engineers during post-flight operations at Vandenberg AFB. The sample was recorded and deaccessioned (paperwork shown). Pieces of this tile were acquired by a California-based dealer of aerospace memorabilia. I bought one of the samples and divided it into smaller pieces which I am offering here. Buyers will receive a copy of the provenance paperwork.
The STS-94 mission was primarily a micro-gravity research mission that contained numerous experiments from scientists around the world. The pilot of that mission was Susan L. Still and the commander was James D. Halsell. Interestingly, STS-94 was a reflight of the aborted STS-83 mission which was cut short due to a fuel cell problem. STS-94 is the only spaceflight in history where a crew of more than one member was flown on two missions - every member of the exact same crew flew on both missions.
The tile sample offered here was removed from the underside of a rear wing flap (see diagram in the paperwork photo).
You get one sample of the WHITE inner insulation of the thermal tile. The sample is micromount sized (approx. 2-4mm) and may vary slightly in shape from the example shown.
Refer to the photo. The black centimeter cube is shown for scale and is not included. You are purchasing a sample like the one shown. Your purchase will include an ID label and copies of the provenance paperwork.
