May 19, 2025
Gemini III crew John Young and Gus Grissom in Gemini mission simulator, Gemini III
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Gemini III crew John Young and Gus Grissom in Gemini mission simulator, Gemini III
Astronaut Roger Chaffee at Mission Control console, Gemini III
"According to Young, his contraband corned-beef sandwich was thanks to astronaut Wally Schirra, who had it prepared at a restaurant in Cocoa Beach before Gemini 3 launched. Schirra was well known as a practical joker. Young said Grissom was 'bored' with the official menus that they had practiced with in training, and packing a sandwich for the trip 'seemed like a fun idea at the time.'
It was not, as it turned out, quite so fun. When the Gemini astronauts got hungry, Young pulled out the smuggled sandwich. In the transcripts of the Gemini 3 mission, Young tells Grissom, 'Let's see how it tastes. Smells, doesn't it?' When Grissom took a bite, 'crumbs of rye bread started floating all around the cabin,' he told Life.
Grissom put the sandwich in his pocket for the duration of the flight, Young remarking 'It was a thought anyway… Not a very good one.'
It’s possible for tiny crumbs like that to pose a big threat during spaceflight—they can fly off and get wedged in any of the many pieces of equipment that keep a spacecraft running."
-pasaage from Smithsonian's article "How an Astronaut Smuggled a Sandwich Into Space" By Hillary Brady: link
Date: March 23, 1965
source
In honor of the 60th anniversary of Gemini III, I wrote an article about the mission - and the famous corned beef sandwich that flew on it.
The year was 1965. The Mercury program had launched 6 successful missions, cementing America as a spacefaring nation. The foundations for Ap
Post-splashdown capsule recovery, Gemini III
Gemini erector is lowered during final countdown exercises for Gemini-Titan 3 on LC-19 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Date: March 19, 1965
NASA ID: 65-H-406, S65-20638
Clouds over the Indian Ocean, Gemini III.
Clouds over Indian Ocean, Gemini III