Race to the Moon

Gemini Program

The Gemini program was a whole series of manned spaceflights as an intermediate step between the Mercury and Apollo programs to test that astronauts could spend sufficient time in space to undertake a return trip to the Moon and to practice the rendezvous and docking techniques needed for such a mission.

It was called Gemini because each spacecraft carried two astronauts - the heavenly twins!

In all 10 manned mission were flown and they were taken aloft by the Titan two-stage rocket, more powerful than the launch vehicles used in the earlier Mercury program.

The spacecraft was a larger version of the Mercury capsule and weighed more than twice as much at about 3,640kg (8,000lb). It was a highly manoeuvreable craft equipped with life support systems to sustain the crew for up to 14 days.

Gemini 3 - 23 March 1965 Grissom / Young flew for 3 orbits.
Flight duration 4hrs:52min:32sec
(five days earlier Alekskei Leonov had completed the first space walk lasting 10 mins!)

Gemini IV - (note the change in official notation to roman numerals - not reflected in the mission patch)
Launch date 3 June 1965 McDivitt / White -Ed White undertook a 20 minute space walk on the end of an
8 metre (25 foot) tether and used a gas gun to help him move about in a controlled manner.
They flew 62 orbits; flight duration 97hrs:40min:01sec.

Gemini V - launched 21 August 1965 - Cooper / Conrad - performed 17 scientific experiments and made detailed observations of ocean currents and the weather during their 120 revolutions of the Earth. This mission also tested the on board fuel cells which create electricity and water (again an essential for longer duration trips when batteries and limited quantities of water for both drinking and cooling would be necessary). Flight duration 190hrs:55min:14sec.

Gemini VI - objective of the mission was to dock with an Agena rocket launched earlier. Mission was cancelled on 25 October 1965 after the target blew up. After another unsuccessful launch Gemini VI was finally sent aloft on 15 December 1965, 9 days after GeminiVII, which had been launched on 4 December!
Crew:- Schirra / Stafford. Gemini VII was now to be their rendezvous vehicle and they successfully brought the two craft to within one foot of each other - Gemini VI then returned to Earth the next day after 16 orbits and a 25hrs:51mins:54 sec total elapsed time mission.

Gemini VII, was launched before Gemini VI as outlined above and after the redezvous exercise stayed on in space on an endurance mission to prove man could live and function effectively in the weightless environment for sufficient time to undertake a lunar mission.
During their 206 orbits they covered a distance equivalent to the space between the Earth and the Moon.
Total mission time 330hrs:35mins:01sec. Crew: Borman / Lovell.

Gemini VIII, crewed by Armstrong and Scott succeeded in docking with an Agena rocket but the mission was abruptly aborted when control thrusters malfunctioned and they were fortunate to return safely. Launch date 16 March 1966. Orbits completed 7 Mission time 10hrs:41mins:26secs.

Gemini IX, launch on 17 May 1966 postponed when again the Agena target rocket failed to reach orbit. Stafford and Cernan were tasked after launch on 3 June 1966 with docking with a makeshift target but were unsuccessful only because of a defective cover on the target.
Cernan undertook EVA (Extra vehicular activity - spacewalk)
Orbits completed 45. Total mission time 72hrs:20mins:50secs.

Gemini X, launched 18 July 1966 Young and Collins successfully docked with an Agena rocket and fired its engine to boost them to a higher altitude of 475 miles.
Collins undertook EVA experiments. Orbits completed 44. Total mission time 70hrs:46mins:39secs.

GeminiXI, Conrad and Gordon acheived their docking with an Agena target on their first orbit and again fired it's engines to raise their altitude to 850 miles.
Gordon did the EVA experiments on this mission.
Launch date 12 September 1966. Completed orbits 44. Total mission time 71hrs:17mins:08secs.

Gemini XII the last mission in this program took Lovell and Aldrin to space on
11 November 1966. They too completed docking manouvres with an Agena. Aldrin also performed periods of work outside the spacecraft (EVAs) and did not have the difficulties of overheating and misting of face plates experienced by his colleagues on earlier missions.Completed orbits 59. Mission time 94hrs:59mins:58secs.

Having now proved the manouvering, docking, life support systems and trained astronauts ability to function effectively in this alien environment it was time to test the systems designed............

to take man to the MOON! .....»» Apollo

Index | Background | Mercury | Gemini | Apollo