The Gemini program was an extension of the Mercury project leading to the Apollo manned space flight programs required to execute President John F. Kennedy’s proposed manned lunar landing by the end of the decade. The Gemini program set intermediate and clear-cut goals to increase flight duration time, conduct docking and maneuvering in space, and perfect methods of reentering the atmosphere.
President Kennedy’s proposed lunar landing announcement on May 25, 1961 came a month after Soviet Union Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first man in space to orbit the earth on April 12, 1961. The world was in awe of Soviet space prowess and it appeared that Soviets were winning the space race between the two superpowers of the world.
Kennedy’s lunar proposal was an enormous challenge and it effectively restored US confidence in the manned space program.
Project Mercury had completed the design of the manned spacecraft, modified the Atlas as the launch vehicle, and tested unmanned vehicle flights performance. The Mercury project was months from launching the first manned spacecraft when Kennedy challenged NASA but with the data provided by Mercury, it was abundantly clear that space travel was feasible and advantageous on many fronts.
Gemini program announced January 1962:
It was a month after the Gemini project was announced that John Glenn became the first American pilot to orbit the earth on February 20, 1962.
In the coming months, between 1962 and 1963, Project Mercury launched six men into orbit and recovered pilots and space capsules safely and intact. Project Mercury was completed in 1963 with all objectives met and without loss of man or spacecraft.
The stated goals of the Gemini program were:
1. Increase duration of flights: needed for deep space flights and monitor man’s ability to function in space.
2. Rendezvous and dock with other orbiting space vehicles and maneuver the docked vehicles.
3. Perfect the method of reentry into the atmosphere and landing.
Original goals included landing at a predetermined point on land, but the objective was cancelled in 1964.
Launch vehicle
The Gemini project called for a new, more powerful launch vehicle to accomplish the added thrust needed for the larger manned spacecraft module and deeper exploration of space. In the previous project, existing Atlas rockets were used as launch vehicles, but they would not provide adequate thrust for the Gemini project featuring a two-man crew and added equipment.
The Titan II ICBM missile was selected as the new launch vehicle in December of 1961. It was modified for the Gemini program and renamed the Titan II GLV. It’s also referred to as the Gemini Titan II or simply Titan II.
Titan II is a two-stage rocket with 430,000 pounds of thrust in the first stage for lift off. The second stage adds 100,000 pounds of thrust for propulsion.
Spacecraft Capsule and flight duration:
The manned spacecraft would be redesigned in larger scale to accommodate the two-man crew. Project phases of the project meant modification to the space capsule for long space flights into deep space, required by the lunar landing objective. In addition, sophisticated equipment systems were added such as monitoring the effect of weightlessness on the astronauts.
Mobility, workspace, and sustenance for the astronauts were critical components of the Gemini project.
The Gemini space capsule was twice as large as the original Mercury capsule with changes that made it more maneuverable for the pilots. The Friendship 7 space capsule measured 6 feet in diameter by 9 feet in length. It weighed 2900 pounds and was launched with an Atlas rocket. In contrast, the Gemini space capsule was 10 feet in diameter and stood 19 feet weighing 8400 pounds.
Gemini Astronauts:
Virgil “Gus” Grissom, John W. Young, James A McDivitt, Ed White, Gordon Cooper, Charles Conrad, Frank Borman, James Lovell, Walter “Wally”
Schirra, Thomas Stafford, Neil Armstrong, David Scott, Eugene Cernan, Michael Collins, Richard Gordon and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.
Grissom, Schirra, and Cooper were in the 7 original selections of astronauts and participated in the Mercury project.
Gemini launched 12 flights with two unmanned flights (Gemini 1 and 2) for testing equipment and all major objectives were met. The first space walk occurred with Gemini IV (Ed White) and first emergency spacecraft landing occurred during Gemini VIII with the crew of Neil Armstrong and David Scott.
The intermediate Gemini Program met all major goals of long duration of space flight and rendezvous and docking maneuvers had been perfected. It was completed in 1966 with the flight of Gemini VII and laid the foundation for the next project.
Apollo, the next manned space project, would take man all the way to the moon.
