Name/Title
Heat Shield from the Apollo 8Description
A small, irregularly shaped piece of foil heat shield from Apollo 8 Command Module is gold-colored on one side and silver-toned on the other.Use
The foil heat shield present on the Apollo 8 Command Module protected the astronauts from the intense heat of reentering Earth's atmosphere.Context
The USS Yorktown (CVS-10) retrieved the Apollo 8 astronauts from the Pacific on December 27, 1968. This small piece of gold foil heat shield was once part of the Apollo 8 Command Module capsule. Photographer’s Mate, Dan Bernath asked the marine guarding the capsule to pull off a piece of it for him as a memento. Lance Corporal Sain secretly gave a piece to any sailor who asked for one.Collection
USS Yorktown CV-10, Dan Bernath CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2001.00055Source or Donor
Daniel Alan "Dan" BernathAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Manufacturer
North American AviationDate made
1968Update Date
April 9, 2025
