Project Gemini

The second U.S. manned space program was announced in January 1962. Its two-man crew gave it its name, Gemini, for the third constellation of the Zodiac and its twin stars, Castor and Pollux. Gemini involved 12 flights,including two unmanned flight tests of the equipment.




Like Mercury's, its major objectives were clear-cut:
 
          * To subject man and equipment to space flight
            up to two weeks in duration;
 
          * To rendezvous and dock with orbiting vehicles
            and to maneuver the docked combination by
            using the target vehicle's propulsion system;
 
          * To perfect methods of entering the atmosphere
            and landing at a preselected point on land.
            Its goals were also met, with the exception
            of a land landing, which was cancelled in 1964.

SUMMARY & OBJECTIVES

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced December 7, 1961, a plan to extend the existing manned space flight program by development of a two-man spacecraft. The program was officially designated Gemini on January 3, 1962. It was named after the third constellation of the zodiac, featuring the twin stars Castor and Pollux. The program was operationally completed with the Gemini XII
flight.

The Gemini program was managed by the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, under direction of the Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C, Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate
Administrator of NASA for Manned Space Flight, served as acting director of the Gemini program. William C. Schneider, Deputy Director of Manned Space Flight for Mission Operations, served as Mission Director on all Gemini flights beginning with Gemini V.

The Manned Spacecraft Center Gemini effort was headed by Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, director of the Center, and Charles W. Matthews, Gemini Program Manager.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The Gemini Program was conceived after it became evident to NASA officials that an intermediate step was required between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program. The major objectives assigned to Gemini were:

To subject two men and supporting equipment to long duration flights -- a requirement for projected later
trips to the moon or deeper space.

To effect rendezvous and docking with other orbiting vehicles, and to maneuver the docked vehicles in space, using the propulsion system of the target vehicle for such maneuvers.

To perfect methods of reentry and landing the spacecraft at a pre-selected land-landing point.

To gain additional information concerning the effects of weightlessness on crew members and to record the physiological reactions of crew members during long duration flights.

A brief summary of the Gemini flight results reveals how successful the Gemini Program was. All of the major objectives were met as well as many other objectives assigned to each mission, with the exception
of land landing which was canceled from the Gemini Program in 1964. However, the precision control necessary to achieve the land landing bjective was demonstrated.

THE SPACECRAFT

The spacecraft was an enlargement of the familiar Mercury capsule--5.8m (19 ft) long, 3m (10 ft) in diameter, and about 3810 kilograms (8400 pounds) in weight. Engineering changes simplified maintenance and made it more maneuverable for the pilots. The Titan II rocket, more powerful than the Redstone, placed the larger spacecraft into orbit.
Sometimes referred to as Gemini-Titan for the craft and its launch vehicle, each flight was designated by a Roman numeral. Only the first capsule was nicknamed; Command Pilot Virgil Grissom called it the MOLLY BROWN in reference to his Mercury spacecraft that sank.

THE MANNED FLIGHTS

Gemini III, MOLLY BROWN
March 23, 1965
Virgil I. Grissom, John W. Young

04 hours, 52 minutes 31 seconds
First manned Gemini flight, three orbits.

Gemini IV
June 03-07, 1965
James A. McDivitt, Edward H. White II

4 days 1 hour 56min 12 seconds
Included first extravehicular activity (EVA)
by an American; White's "space walk" was a
22 minute EVA exercise.


Gemini V
August 21-29, 1965
L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., Charles Conrad, Jr.

7 days 22 hours 55 min 14 seconds
First use of fuel cells for electrical power;
evaluated guidance and navigation system for
future rendezvous missions. Completed 120
orbits.


Gemini VII
December 04-18, 1965
Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr.

13 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes 1 seconds
When the Gemini VI mission was scrubbed because
its Agena target for rendezvous and docking
failed, Gemini VII was used for the rendezvous
instead. Primary objective was to determine
whether humans could live in space for 14 days.


Gemini VI
December 15-16, 1965
Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Thomas P. Stafford

1 Day 1 hour 51 min 24 seconds
First space rendezvous accomplished with
Gemini VII, station-keeping for over five hours
at distances from 0.3 to 90 m (1 to 295 ft).



Gemini VIII
March 16, 1966
Neil A. Armstrong, David R. Scott

10 hours, 41 minutes 26 seconds
Accomplished first docking with another space
vehicle, an unmanned Agena stage. A malfunction
caused uncontrollable spinning of the craft; the
crew undocked and effected the first emergency
landing of a manned U.S. space mission.


Gemini IX
June 03-06, 1966
Thomas P. Stafford, Eugene A. Cernan

3 days, 21 hours
Rescheduled from May to rendezvous and dock with
augmented target docking adapter (ATDA) after
original Agena target vehicle failed to orbit.
ATDA shroud did not completely separate, making
docking impossible. Three different types of
rendezvous, two hours of EVA, and 44 orbits were
completed.


Gemini X
July 18-21, 1966
John W. Young, Michael Collins

2 days 22 hours 46 min 39 seconds
First use of Agena target vehicle's propulsion
systems. Spacecraft also rendezvoused with
Gemini VIII target vehicle. Collins had 49
minutes of EVA standing in the hatch and 39
minutes of EVA to retrieve experiment from
Agena stage. 43 orbits completed.

Gemini XI
September 12-15, 1966
Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr.

2 days 23 hours 17 min 8 seconds
Gemini record altitude, 1,189.3 km (739.2 mi)
reached using Agena propulsion system after
first orbit rendezvous and docking. Gordon made
33-minute EVA and two-hour standup EVA. 44
orbits.


Gemini XII
November 11-15, 1966
James A. Lovell, Jr., Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.

3 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes 31 seconds
Final Gemini flight. Rendezvoused and docked
with its target Agena and kept station with it
during EVA. Aldrin set an EVA record of 5 hours,
30 minutes for one space walk and two stand-up
exercises.