Encased in an acrylic cylinder 3 inches in diameter, 2.5 inches tall, and engraved "Gemini V Aug. 21-29, 1965" at its bottom, the top 1/4 inch of this segment of Gemini V heat shield was charred from the intense frictional heat of reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. The Gemini capsule's heat shield was constructed of a load-carrying Fiberglas sandwich structure consisting of two 5-ply faceplates of resin-impregnated glass cloth separated by a .65-in. thick honeycomb core. An additional Fiberglas honeycomb was bonded to the convex side of the sandwich and filled with Dow-Corning DC-325 ablative material.
