posted 02-13-2015 12:21 AM               

The Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL) was an Air Force space station planned in the early 1960s. Crews would orbit for weeks, mostly on reconnaissance missions, and then return to Earth using a Gemini B spacecraft — a slightly altered Gemini capsule.

The MOL was never built, and the heat shield of the never-flown Gemini B capsule was dismantled. This segment was placed in an acrylic display that happens to reflect the sides, so you can see the (rarely-seen) unburnt white outer layer, then the metal honeycomb and other layers of the spacecraft.

This item not only has a place in the history of space exploration, but in the history of space exploration collecting. It was Lot 401 in the very first auction dedicated to space exploration, the Superior auction of 1993. The auction house's sticker is taped on the underside of the base, along with a photocopy of the original catalog listing.

A very similar item — a Gemini B heat shield sample originally sold at the same auction – sold a couple of years ago for $1,118. The triangular structure of this display, however, allows for a better view of the artifact within. The part with the acrylic is not glued onto the base, but is attached with a strong peg. That means you can rotate it for whatever display you wish.

The sample is two inches wide at its base and narrower at the top; and three inches tall. The whole display is nine inches wide, and eight inches tall.