Beschreibung:

A rectangular heat shield segment ½ by 1 inch. Encased in a 2¼ inch lucite disk with text reading: "Heat Shield of First Orbital Mercury Flight, Sept. 13, 1961." WITH GORDON COOPER's signed provenance note, reading in part: "This heat shield segment is from the Mercury Atlas-4 which was launched on September 13, 1961. It was our second attempt to put a Mercury spacecraft into orbit. Two of the previous three Mercury Atlas (MA) rockets had failed. MA-1 was planned as a sub-orbital ballistic flight but the Atlas turned into a fire ball some 60 seconds into flight. MA-2's sub-orbital flight was successful. MA-3 was the first attempt to put a Mercury spacecraft into orbit but the Atlas failed again. To say that we Mercury Astronauts were 'concerned' about the flight safety record of the Mercury Atlas launch vehicle would be putting it mildly and very politely."