Jul 30
NASA image from the Gemini IV mission - June 1965.
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NASA image from the Gemini IV mission - June 1965.
April 21, 1965 - Launched from Cape Kennedy’s Launch Complex 19, astronauts “Gordo” Cooper and “Pete” Conrad aboard a Titan II GLV begin the third manned Gemini mission, Gemini V - an 8-day trek in Earth orbit.
Mission objectives included evaluating the feasibility of long(er) duration spaceflight and its effects on the human body, as Gemini V would stay in orbit as long as a trip to the moon and back would take. A rendezvous with a Radar Evaluation Pod was scheduled, but not achieved due to issues with the fuel cells aboard the spacecraft. Gemini V was the first craft to run fuel cells, a necessary change from the chemical batteries of past flights to ensure the craft could stay powered for the duration of a moon mission. Despite the issues with the fuel cells, the flight continued for its planned duration.
Cooper and Conrad took photos of celestial objects while in orbit, photos of Earth were taken for the Department of Defense.
Splashdown occurred on August 29th, with the spacecraft being controlled by the astronauts during reentry. Due to a calculating error on the ground, Gemini V landed about 80 miles, or 130 kilometers short of its intended landing zone in the Atlantic Ocean. The programmer inputting the data for the reentry calculations had incorrectly set earth’s rotation rate in the computer.
Gemini V would be the first NASA mission to feature an insignia patch. Now a staple of spaceflight operations, the insignia for Gemini V featured a covered wagon to emphasize the pioneering spirit of the mission. Cooper suggested and designed the insignia and included the phrase ‘8 Days or Bust!’, but this was removed by NASA who felt it drew attention to the length of the mission, assuming they were going to be able to stay in orbit for eight days, and not the experiments to be performed.
Gemini V doubled the length of the longest mission to date for NASA (Gemini 4), and beat the Soviet record for duration in orbit, which was set by Vostok 5 in 1963 with 4 days and 23 hours.
NASA image from the Gemini VII mission - December 1965.
Life magazine - August 1966.
NASA image from the Gemini VII mission - December 1965.
Cover of NASA’s Project Gemini informational booklet - 1966.
National Geographic magazine - March 1964.
NASA image from the Gemini XII mission - November 1966.