Space Shuttle Atlantis - Flown Thermal Blanket

This piece of the Space Shuttle Atlantis Flown Thermal Blanket was used to help withstand the increase in temperature as the spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere. As a part of the ship’s thermal control system, the blanket was applied to the inside of the shuttle for the protection of internal components and systems. The thermal blankets are composed of multiple layers with the top layer being aluminized Kapton foil, as well as a layer of fibrous bulk material and possibly fragments of Dacron net separator material. These 1x1cm specimens are very fragile and are housed in an acrylic jar and shipped in a glass-topped Riker display case. A small information card is included as a certificate of authenticity.