Flown Gemini 5 Aeronautical Chart Used in Classified DoD Experiment D-6 (Ex Pete Conrad Collection)
Plate 089 (Blantyre Aerodrome - Blantyre, Malawi) and Plate 090 (Yohannes IV Aerodrome - Asmara, Ethiopia)
Highlights:
🚀 Flown and Mission-Used on Gemini 5
🔍 Used in classified DoD photoreconnaissance experiment
✂️ Each chart is unique—hand-assembled and one-of-a-kind
🧑🚀 From the collection of Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr.
📝 Accompanied by COA and 28-page PDF provenance report
This aeronautical chart takes us back to a pivotal moment in space exploration and Cold War history. Flown aboard Gemini 5 and used during the mission, this chart played a key role in a classified Department of Defense experiment (Experiment D-6) that laid the groundwork for space-based manned photoreconnaissance.
Secret DoD Experiment: Recently declassified DoD and NRO documents reveal that Experiment D-6 was designed “to investigate technical problems associated with man’s ability to acquire, track and photograph terrestrial objects” from orbit. Using these charts (referred to by the crew as “the D-6 maps”), Conrad and Cooper located strategic targets—including airports, airfields, and military facilities—and photographed them with a special telephoto lens. At the time of the mission, disclosure of this experiment sparked international outrage about NASA’s “spies in the sky” and the increasing militarization of space. As a result, Experiment D-6 and its “D-6 maps” were flown only on Gemini 5, making these far rarer than the mass-produced Earth Landmarks charts flown during Apollo.
Absolutely Unique: The Air Force/DoD Program 631A office, which oversaw the design and integration of DoD experiments into Gemini missions, produced these charts for use in Experiment D-6. Only one set was ever made, and it flew only on Gemini 5. Unlike the later offset-printed Apollo Earth Landmarks maps, the D-6 charts were entirely handmade from World Aeronautical Chart sections, and as a result, each is unique.
Exceptional Provenance: This map comes from Pete Conrad’s mission-used Aeronautical Chart Book (Part No. AF65007, Dash 1, S/N 1, S/C 5, Book A), consigned by Conrad for sale as Lot 176 in the 27 February 1994 Odyssey Auction.
Certified Flown and Mission-Used: The chart book is listed by name and part number in the final Gemini 5 stowage list, confirming its flown status. In 1996, Conrad provided a signed letter describing the use of the chart book during the mission, stating that the crew requested it “to help us figure out where we were in the world” during onboard experiments. In addition, each chart is listed by number and target name in the flown procedures checklist for Experiment D-6. Many are mentioned in air-to-ground and onboard communications transcripts and discussed at length in the post-mission technical debrief transcripts.
✨ Includes:
- Orbital Artifacts Attestation of Authenticity, with lifetime money-back guarantee warranted to the original purchaser.
- Copy of Conrad’s Provenance Letter in which he describes using charts during the Gemini V mission.
- Copy of Gemini V Final Stowage List, which lists Conrad’s Aeronautical Chart Book by name and part number.
- Comprehensive 28-page PDF provenance report (Downloadable), documenting the provenance, history, and use of these charts on Gemini V. Most of this is NEW HISTORICAL INFORMATION from declassified DoD and NRO documents. Preview available here: http://issuu.com/kevinp.groark/docs/gt5-forprint
Don’t miss this chance to own a rare, museum-quality flown Gemini 5 artifact that represents the intersection of space exploration, Cold War controversy, and the militarization of space.
Don’t just dream about space exploration—own a piece of it!
*Colors may vary slightly from what you see on the screen
