| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 480.1 | Manned flights began in 1965 | MTWAIN::KLAES | Saturn by 1970 | Thu Oct 27 1988 09:31 | 17 |
| Manned GEMINI launchings began with GEMINI 3 in 1965 (GEMINI
1 and 2 were unmanned test flights). The astronauts aboard GEMINI
3 were Virgil "Gus" Grissom and John Young. They made only three
orbits of Earth, testing the spacecraft systems.
GEMINI was the follow-up to the MERCURY program (manned launches
from 1961 to 1963), to pave the way for the APOLLO Moon missions.
With GEMINI, NASA tested rendevous and docking manuevers, as well
as spacewalks and long-duration missions, all of which APOLLO would
have to accomplish for a successful lunar landing program. The
GEMINI program ended in 1966 with the mission of GEMINI 12.
I highly suggest that you check out your local library for more
details than can be given in this Conference. Good luck.
Larry
|
| 480.2 | Where are they now... | MTWAIN::KLAES | Saturn by 1970 | Thu Oct 27 1988 09:33 | 7 |
| By the way, Topic 265 lists where all U.S. manned spacecraft,
including GEMINI of course, are kept, mostly as museum artifacts.
What is this "competition" you're participating in?
Larry
|
| 480.3 | | STAR::HUGHES | | Thu Oct 27 1988 13:36 | 15 |
| You specify 'flight program' so I presume you mean the first Gemini
launch. If not, it may be a trick question as the Apollo program
(not flights) started long before Gemini. NASA decided it needed
an interim program to work on rendezvous/docking and extended duration
missions. At the same time, the USAF was looking at its own manned
space program which needed similar capabilities. So Gemini was created
as a NASA/USAF project. The USAF followon, Blue Gemini, did not
happen.
As for references, try for David (?) Hardy's book 'Manned Spaceflight'.
It will give you more detail than anything else short of official NASA
and contractor technical documents (which probably no longer exist) and
press releases. I can dig out publisher's info and ISBNs if you want.
gary
|
| 480.4 | list of Gemini missions | SHAOLN::DENSMORE | Legion of Decency, Retired | Thu Oct 27 1988 14:19 | 50 |
| Here's a brief overview:
Mission Crew Date Comment
------- --------------------------- ------ -------
GT3 Gus Grissom, John Young 3/23/65 1st Manned
Mission
GT4 James McDivitt,Ed White 6/3-7/65 1st American
Spacewalk
GT5 Gordon Cooper, Pete Conrad 8/21-29/65 121
Orbits
GT7 Jim Lovell, Frank Borman 12/4-18/65
GTA6 Wally Schirra, Tom Stafford 12/15-16/65
[GTA6 launched 11 days after GT7 due to delays...sounds
like the Shuttle...this was the first rendezvous of
two spacecraft]
[GTA6 is so designated because it was to have been the first
Gemini-Titan-Agena mission. The Agena failed so the mission
was changed to a rendezvous with GT7.]
GT8 Neil Armstrong, David Scott 3/16-17/66 1st Docking
[The docking was short due to a problem in the Gemini capsule
which sent the ships into wild gyrations.]
GT9-A Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan 6/3-6/66
[docking aborted when the Agena's cover only partially opened,
creating the "angry alligator"]
[The "A" designation was given when the original crew of Elliot
See and Charles Bassett were killed while attempting a landing
in St Louis. They were flying into St Louis to visit the plant
where their capsule was being built. Ironically, they crashed
into the building where the Gemini-9 capsule was being built.]
GT10 John Young, Michael Collins 7/18-21/66
GT11 Pete Conrad, Richard Gordon 9/12-15/66
GT12 Jim Lovell, Ed Aldrin 11/11-15/66
Hope this helps.
Mike
|
| 480.5 | Thank you ! | SHIRE::PERISSET | | Mon Oct 31 1988 10:53 | 7 |
| Re: 480.2
Thank you to everybody for all your explanations.
I'm participating in a competition run by the French "FIGARO"
newspaper involving general knowledge questions. The first prize
is a "FERRARI TESTAROSSA".
|
| 480.6 | A few tidbits | DELNI::B_INGRAHAM | A Thousand Pints of Lite! | Thu Apr 13 1989 13:14 | 12 |
| 2 quickies:
o GT3 was also the first corned_beaf sandwich flown (smuggled?)
in orbit, much to the dismay of people on the ground.
o Michael Collins has a great book entitled "Carrying the Fire"
which describes both his GT10 and Apollo 11 flights. The book
contains a lot of great information about Gemini.
If you win the prize on the basis of the corned beaf sandwich, I
expect the keys to that car! 8^)
|
| 480.7 | GEMINI astronauts installed in Hall of Fame | VERGA::KLAES | Life, the Universe, and Everything | Fri Mar 19 1993 13:10 | 43 |
| Article: 2994
From: [email protected] (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.gov.usa,clari.news.interest.people
Subject: Thirteen Gemini astronauts installed in Hall of Fame
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 93 10:07:34 PST
TITUSVILLE, Fla. (UPI) -- Thirteen astronauts who orbited the Earth
during Project Gemini were installed in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame
Wednesday as their former flight director called the shots as he did
three decades ago.
Christopher C. Kraft Jr., flight director during the Mercury and
Gemini programs and later director of NASA's Johnson Space Center,
served as host for the ceremony.
One by one, in the order that they flew, Kraft called out the names
of the new inductees: John W. Young, James A. McDivitt, the late Edward
H. White II, Charles (Pete) Conrad Jr., Frank Borman, James A. Lovell,
Thomas P. Stafford, Neil A. Armstrong, David R. Scott, Eugene A. Cernan,
Michael Collins, Richard F. Gordon Jr. and Buzz Aldrin.
And one by one, as brief videos of their flights flashed on a
large screen, the former astronauts stepped forward to accept plaques
symbolizing their entrance into the Hall of Fame. Edward H. White III
accepted for his father.
They join the original Mercury Seven astronauts, who were installed
in the Hall of Fame when it opened in 1990. They are Alan B. Shepard,
the late Virgil I. (Gus) Grissom, John H. Glenn Jr., Malcolm Scott
Carpenter, Walter M. Schirra Jr., L. Gordon Cooper Jr., and Donald K.
(Deke) Slayton. The Mercury astronauts and Gus's widow, Betty, attended
Wednesday's ceremony.
From the two groups, 13 moved on to the Apollo Moon landing program.
Seven walked on the Moon and five others orbited the Moon.
Project Gemini was the bridge between America's first tentative
forays into space in the Mercury program and the Apollo Moon flights.
The program perfected all of the flight techniques necessary to go to
the Moon, including rendezvous, docking, space-walking and long-duration
flight. The 10 launchings of the two-man spacecraft took place in 1965
and 1966.
|
| 480.8 | GEMINI paraglider in QUEST magazine | VERGA::KLAES | Quo vadimus? | Tue Feb 01 1994 15:22 | 34 |
| Article: 81913
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Paraglider Gemini
Date: 25 Jan 94 15:07:38 -0500
The lastest Edition of Quest is out. Quest is a four times a year
magazine on the history of spaceflight published by Glen Swanson. This
issue has a very interesting article on the Gemini Paraglider
Program. What is was, a Gemini after reentry would pop a Rogallo wing
and land on a conventional runway. Instead of getting all wet.
Well Glen is looking for the hardware used in the testing. He
has a lead on what was listed as "Gemini Paraglider" at the Manchester
Air & Space Museum in England. Rumor has it that the Museum has
changed its name. It you have any information email me at:
[email protected]
Or write Glen at:
Cspace Press
POB 9331
Grand Rapids, MI, 49509-0331 USA
If you want you can always subscribe at the Four issues a year for
$25US overseas $35US Air Mail.
Thanks alot
Randy
"Making History the Old-Fashion Way One Day at a Time"
|
| 480.9 | Gemini to the Moon | MTWAIN::KLAES | No Guts, No Galaxy | Wed Aug 03 1994 18:22 | 80 |
| Article: 2688
From: [email protected] (Thomas J. Frieling)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: Re: Gemini missions to lunar orbit?!
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 00:34:51
Organization: Bainbridge College
In article <[email protected]> [email protected]
(Marcus Lindroos INF) writes:
>From: [email protected] (Marcus Lindroos INF)
>Subject: Gemini missions to lunar orbit?!
>Date: Sat, 16 Jul 1994 16:54:28 GMT
>I recently heard a rumor that there were some plans to send the Gemini
>spacecraft to lunar orbit, attempting some LOR manoeuvres to pave the
>way for Apollo! NASA reportedly vetoed the proposal, claiming it
>would compete and interfere with the Apollo project. Can anybody
>confirm this?
>---
>I can't see how anything more advanced than a circumlunar Zond type flight
>would have been possible. Back then, the Titan III had just entered
>service, the Centaur upper stage developed for Surveyor was behind schedule.
>Using Transtage, sending a Mercury capsule around the Moon would have been
>difficult enough! Titan IIIE-Centaur D-1T-Gemini would have been different,
>however. Hmmmm...
This is discussed in On the Shoulders of Titans, the official NASA history
of Gemini. But from memory:
Briefly, the proposal involved launching a Titan topped by a Centaur. Gemini
would have rendezvoused and docked and used the Centaur for the trans-lunar
boost. It would have been a loop around the moon only--no orbiting. Extra
radiation shielding, a thicker heat shield, and tougher external shingles
were needed as I recall. NASA brass didn't want Gemini to steal Apollo's
thunder, so it never got off the drawing board.
Article: 2677
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: RE: Gemini missions to lunar orbit?!
Date: Sun, 17 Jul 94 18:41:19 GMT
Organization: IDS World Network Internet Access Service, (401) 884-9002 GUEST
[telnet ids.net]
Actually there was a serious proposal to send Gemini 11 around the
moon - similar to how the Zond spacecraft were flown. It didn't
involve a giant booster, but one which was launched separately. Pete
Conrad, the commander of GT-11 lobbied to have the Agena which his
craft was to dock to be used to put the combined Gemini-Agena on to a
lunar free-return flyby mission. The Agena's hypergolic fuels and
restartable engine had enough energy to perform the mission, but was
not qualified for such a long burn. There were concerns about how
much the engine could put out over time so the plan was nixed. The
engine was used to put the Gemini into an orbit with an apogee of 850
miles (I forgot whether that's statute or nautical -- this is all off
the top of my head) and he and pilot Dick Gordon still hold the record
for altitude for a crewed spacecraft in orbit around Earth which
wasn't headed for the moon.
Philip Chien
no sig yet
Article: 2683
From: [email protected] (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: RE: Gemini missions to lunar orbit?!
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 1994 14:30:19 GMT
Organization: ABO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY, FINLAND
I don't remember which Agena version was used as a docking target for
Gemini, but the D version (=the most powerful that I have any numbers
for) certainly was too small. The mass ratio was (0.9t/7.05t),
Isp=290s. Gemini had a wet mass of ~3.8km/s, so the maximum delta-V
becomes 2.4km/s or barely enough to reach GTO (200x35,000km). To reach
the Moon, a 200x4,000km parking orbit would be required. Fairly easy
if you launch both spacecraft on two Titan-III boosters (the Agena
normally went up on an Atlas booster?), but the Gemini/Titan-II seems
to be too small for this to work.
|