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Crew:
Walter M. Schirra Jr. (1), Commander
Thomas P. Stafford (1), Pilot
Backup Crew:
Virgil I. Grissom
John W. Young
CapCom:
Alan L. Bean (Cape)
Elliot M. See (Houston)
Eugene A. Cernan (Houston)
Charles A. Bassett II (Houston) |
Mission Objective:
Primary objective was to rendezvous with Gemini-VII. Secondary objectives
included: Perform closed-loop rendezvous in fourth orbit. Stationkeep with
Gemini VII. Evaluate reentry guidance capability. Conduct visibility tests
for rendezvous, using Gemini VII as target. Perform 3 experiments.
Spacecraft weight 3546kg.
Launch:
Dec 15, 1965 8:37:26.471 am EST. Due to a Gemini Agena target vehicle (GATV)
propulsion failure on 25 Oct, 1965 the mission was rescheduled. The Agena
target vehicle Gemini Agena target vehicle GATV-5002 and TLV 5301 with
which the Gemini-VI-A was to rendezvous and dock, failed to go into orbit.
A launch attempt on Dec 12, 1965 failed because of a minor launch vehicle
hardware problem.
Orbit:
Altitude: 311.3km (168.1 nm)
Inclination: 28.89 degrees
Orbits: 16
Duration: 1 Day, 1 hour, 51 min, 24 seconds
Distance: km
Landing:
December 16, 1965. Landing was at 23deg 35min North and 67deg 50min West.
Miss distance was 12.9km (7nm). Recovered by the USS Wasp (crew onboard in
66min).
Mission Highlights:
All primary objectives were achieved. Secondary objective on experiment
D-8 Radiation in Spacecraft because stationkeeping with Gemini-VII
interfered with the experiment.
