Gemini Trainer

The Field Guide calls this a "Gemini trainer," but I would call it more of a mockup or replica. Although the external shingles and even the internal hatch are of a high fidelity and at least some of the control panels also look fairly convincing, the Visitor Center director told me that it had not been used in any sort of official capacity.

Unlike the rest of the trainer, however, there's an uncovered, genuine Gemini heatshield mounted on the aft end of it. I'd seen an unflown Gemini heatshield on the Gemini-MOL at the Air Force Museum, and I'd felt virgin Gemini heatshield on Gemini 9 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center (it feels sort of like waxy felt).

I asked the person at the information desk whether it was a genuine Gemini heatshield. He didn't know, but went to get his supervisor. She didn't know either, but said that she'd ask the Visitor Center director when he returned from giving a tour.

Some time later, while I was photographing the Delta in their Rocket Garden, he came out and confirmed that it was a genuine heatshield (and that the Smithsonian was rather upset that it was not behind Plexiglas). He also said that he half expected there to be a chunk of it missing. A bit of chatting with me, however, eased his mind, as I recounted all of the aerospace museums and NASA facilities I'd visited (he was particularly impressed that we'd visited Wallops Island two days earlier).