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T O P I C R E V I E WrgarnerI am looking to buy flown blocks similar to the below (ideally not encased in Lucite but will take it if need be) with documentation/provenance. Please email me with photographs, measurements and prices.I am looking for the following missions: Freedom 7Liberty Bell 7Friendship 7Faith 7 rgarnerAlso looking for any type of metal from: Mercury Atlas 2Mercury Atlas 3Mercury Atlas 4Mercury Atlas 5SpaceAholicNo such blocks could/would exist for Liberty Bell 7 — its heat shield was never recovered and was non-ablative (beryllium), as was Freedom 7's. rgarnerThank you for the information. I will accept any flown material from either mission in that case, ideally something metal.rgarnerStill looking for all of the above. I noted that my last comment was ''metal'' from the missions, but I am happy with any ''material'' from said missions as well as Heatshield blocks.Joel KatzowitzI sent you an email regarding your search for Mercury flown items.SpaceAholicUnfortunately heat-shield components are precluded from U.S. export except under very specific circumstances as they fall within the Arms Control Act. As codified within the U.S. Munitions List Part 121.1: (19) Spacecraft heat shields or heat sinks specially designed for atmospheric entry or re-entry, and specially designed parts and components therefor (MT if usable in rockets, SLVs, missiles, drones, or UAVs capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km)rgarnerI have to question that as reputable auction houses sell them to buyers outside the US. I know full space shuttle tiles fall under that category, albeit in an extremely outdated law, but heat shield is freely sold worldwide.SpaceAholicAny U.S. entity (individual or organization) who does so risks enforcement action (can be retroactive - no statute of limitations) which admittedly has been inconsistent. However there is current relevance to ITAR/Munition list export restrictions (discussion falls outside the parameters of this thread). rgarnerIt does make me wonder if NASA ever follows up on this kind of thing. I've never seen any shuttle tiles or any other such materials confiscated, or even heard stories of it — it is so much like the fabled "slipping on a banana peel"! I know that moon rocks have been confiscated before now, and for good reason.Still, I can't see questionable data preventing or even deterring anyone selling or buying these materials.Robert PearlmanIt is not NASA's responsibility to police ITAR transgressions for material it legally released to U.S. citizens (or that its contractors released). The State Department oversees ITAR.Apollo recovered moon rocks have never been gifted to individuals, so they remain federal property, hence NASA's involvement (and even then, it usually involves the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies).That said, shuttle tiles and other heat shield samples have been confiscated due to ITAR violations. It is not a situation you want to find yourself in. (Note that Kapton foil is not considered heat shield material.)rgarnerI'd love to read some case reports on this, are any public knowledge?I'm not recommending anyone goes and breaks the law, by any means, but what I am saying is that it won't deter people (not in my experience anyway).That said, I am still looking for any Mercury materials, heatshield or otherwise. And for the record, they would remain in the US.Robert PearlmanThe cases of which I am aware were not reported in the media, in part because the people involved cooperated with authorities.Note that ITAR doesn't only require that the material remain in the U.S., but that it can only be sold to U.S. citizens. Personally, I am in favor of ITAR reform, but until Congress acts on that, the rules are what they are.rgarnerI find, at least in the UK, that such authorities very rarely go back in time to change anything and when they do it is because they are forced to by government. I imagine it is the same in the US.SpaceAholicThe Export Control Reform (ECR) initiative is migrating some space technology off the USML however it will not grant relief to dual use technologies like thermal protection system components (heat shields). Good laydown of the ECR's scope.rgarnerWell I'll be. Still doesn't help with me being a Brit and wanting Mercury materials though! It just makes my Mercury collection that much harder to accumulate. Still, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge.(Thanks for the links SpaceAholic, I like to keep up to date with this type of thing!)
I am looking for the following missions:
(19) Spacecraft heat shields or heat sinks specially designed for atmospheric entry or re-entry, and specially designed parts and components therefor (MT if usable in rockets, SLVs, missiles, drones, or UAVs capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km)
I know full space shuttle tiles fall under that category, albeit in an extremely outdated law, but heat shield is freely sold worldwide.
Still, I can't see questionable data preventing or even deterring anyone selling or buying these materials.
Apollo recovered moon rocks have never been gifted to individuals, so they remain federal property, hence NASA's involvement (and even then, it usually involves the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies).
That said, shuttle tiles and other heat shield samples have been confiscated due to ITAR violations. It is not a situation you want to find yourself in. (Note that Kapton foil is not considered heat shield material.)
I'm not recommending anyone goes and breaks the law, by any means, but what I am saying is that it won't deter people (not in my experience anyway).
That said, I am still looking for any Mercury materials, heatshield or otherwise. And for the record, they would remain in the US.
Note that ITAR doesn't only require that the material remain in the U.S., but that it can only be sold to U.S. citizens.
Personally, I am in favor of ITAR reform, but until Congress acts on that, the rules are what they are.
(Thanks for the links SpaceAholic, I like to keep up to date with this type of thing!)
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