Thermal Foil Insulation from the Palapa-B2 Satellite
Artifact ID1984.02508.01
Object Type
Box, Shadow
Gifter
Dr. James Montgomery Beggs
Maker
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
(Washington, DC)
Date
November 16, 1984
Medium
Wood, Paper, Fabric, Metal, Ink
Dimensions10 × 18 in. (25.4 × 45.7 cm)
Physical DescriptionA wood-framed document with text stating, "Presented to Ronald Reagan President of the United States of America By the STS 51-A crew members on the occasion of their visit to the White House December 7, 1984" and is signed by the crew members. On the left side of the document is a piece of thermal foil insulation taken from the Palapa-B2 satellite. A black and white photograph of the satellite orbiting the Earth is at the center. On the left is a fabric patch with white text stating "ALLEN FISHER GARDNER HAUCK WALKER" and the image of Earth from orbit with a bald eagle and space shuttle.Historical NoteThis wood shadow box contains a piece of the thermal foil insulation from the communications satellite Palapa-B2. It was retrieved from space on STS-51-A, the second flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. From November 8 to November 16, 1984, the crew replaced two communications satellites with improper orbits, deploying two new ones. Also in the box is the mission patch flown on the shuttle with the names of the crew members: Frederick H. Hauck, David M. Walker, Joseph P. Allen IV, Anna L. Fisher, and Dale A. Gardner. There is also a photograph taken during the mission. It is lettered "Presented to Ronald Reagan President of the United States of America By the STS 51-A crew members on the occasion of their visit to the White House December 7, 1984" and is signed by the crew members.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from a member of the general public to President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan during the Reagan administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President Office of Correspondence and maintained there until its transfer to the National Archives in January, 1989 for deposit with the Reagan Presidential Library.
National Archives Catalog CollectionRecords of the White House Gift Unit (Reagan Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6816362) and
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 6816363)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
Use Restriction NoteReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)