Gemini 7
| Mission emblem | |||
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| Mission dates | |||
| Mission: | Gemini 7 | ||
| COSPAR-ID : | 1965-100A | ||
| Spacecraft: | Gemini 7 | ||
| Launcher: | Titan II Gemini 62-12562 | ||
| Begin: | December 4, 1965, 19:30:03 UTC | ||
| Starting place: | LC-19 , Cape Canaveral | ||
| Landing: | December 18, 1965, 14:05:04 UTC | ||
| Landing place: |
Atlantic 25 ° 25 ′ N , 70 ° 7 ′ W |
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| Flight duration: | 13d 18h 35min 1s | ||
| Earth orbits: | 206 | ||
| Recovery ship: | USS Wasp | ||
| Orbit inclination : | 28.89 ° | ||
| Apogee : | 328.2 km | ||
| Perigee : | 161.6 km | ||
| Covered track: | 9,029,771 km | ||
| Team photo | |||
.jpg) from left James Lovell and Frank Borman |
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| ◄ Before / After ► | |||
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Gemini 7 (GT-7) was a manned space flight under the US Gemini program .
The team
Shortly after Gemini 4 landed on July 1, 1965, NASA announced that Gemini 4's backup crew would take over the Gemini 7 spacecraft. Frank Borman was to become the commander , while Jim Lovell was assigned as the pilot . It was the first space flight for both of them.
The backup crew consisted of Edward H. White , the Gemini 4 the first spacewalk by an American had undertaken and Mike Collins . With Collins, an astronaut of the third selection group was nominated for a flight for the first time .
Liaison spokespeople ( Capcom ) were Charles Bassett and Elliot See , who were scheduled to be crew for Gemini 9 the following year, Eugene Cernan from the Gemini 9 backup crew, and the newcomer Alan Bean from the third astronaut group.
The preparation
Gemini 7 should be a long-term flight. Borman and Lovell were supposed to test the new spacesuit. For the first time it should be possible to take off the suit during certain phases. The new suit was not designed for long periods in a vacuum. Should a leak occur in the spaceship, the mission would have to be aborted and an emergency landing initiated.
The Gemini spacecraft was delivered to Cape Kennedy on October 9, where preparations for the launch of Gemini 6 were well underway. This launch was scheduled for October 25, but was then canceled because the target satellite GATV-6 could not be put into orbit .
Three days later, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 would serve a dual mission: the first piloted rendezvous of manned spacecraft.
After the rocket of Gemini 6 was dismantled again, the titanium rocket for Gemini 7 could be erected on October 29th at launch complex 19 and on November 11th the spaceship was assembled.
A 14-day flight made different demands on the spaceship than before. B. enough storage space for waste can be found. Another innovation related to the working hours. The Gemini 4 and Gemini 5 astronauts had advised that it was practically impossible to take turns sleeping. Therefore, the work and sleep rhythm for Gemini 7 has been adapted to Earth Day.
Due to the long flight duration, the astronauts were able to carry out various scientific, especially medical, experiments.
Flight history
Gemini 7 launched on December 4, 1965. Shortly after separating from the Titan rocket, Borman turned the spacecraft around and rendezvoused with the second stage rocket that had lagged behind them. However, the stage was caused to tumble by fuel flowing out of a pipe, so that Borman only approached the upper stage within 15 meters in order not to endanger his own spaceship.
During the next few days, one of the astronauts was always in a spacesuit, the other worked and slept in long underwear. However, this meant that one of the two always felt uncomfortable, because the air conditioning could not do justice to both clothes. For safety reasons, flight control demanded that both astronauts should never be without a space suit. After several days, however, the astronauts were finally given permission to both take off their spacesuits, except during the rendezvous with Gemini 6A and during the re-entry phase .
On December 15th, Gemini 6A launched (the mission was renamed from 6 to 6A to reflect the change in mission objectives). The rendezvous was held after just a few hours. The two spaceships approached each other within 30 cm. The Gemini spaceships were easy to steer.
The landing took place on December 18 after a 330 hour, 35 minute and 1 second flight. Borman and Lovell were helicoptered aboard the USS Wasp . This ship had also salvaged Gemini 6 two days earlier.
Significance for the Gemini project
The flight of Gemini marked a new long-term record in manned space travel, which was not to be broken by Soyuz 9 until 1970 . It turned out that the astronauts could stay in weightlessness without medical problems longer than was needed for a moon flight. The return to earthly gravity also took place without lengthy adjustment.
From a technical point of view, the Gemini spaceships were also suitable for the long term. They had proven their fine maneuverability.
The double flight of Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 not only ended 1965, the flights also meant half-time in the Gemini program, which had been successful so far without any major problems. An external mission and rendezvous of manned spaceships had been carried out. The new year should bring Gemini 8 as another highlight, a coupling of two spacecraft in orbit. For spacewalks there was still work to do. Edward White's disembarkation was a short excursion, and there was definitely still a need to look into how astronauts could work off board for long periods of time.
See also
Web links
- Gemini 7 in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)
- NASA: Gemini-7-mission summary (English)
- Gemini 6A & 7 Rendezvous Video (MPEG; 28 seconds; 2 MB)
- Radio communication protocols (PDF)
