Gemini 11
| Mission emblem | |||
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| Mission dates | |||
| Mission: | Gemini 11 | ||
| COSPAR-ID : | 1966-081A | ||
| Spacecraft: | Gemini 11 | ||
| Launcher: | Titan II Gemini 62-12566 | ||
| Crew: | 2 | ||
| Begin: | September 12, 1966, 14:42:27 UTC JD : 2439381.1128125 |
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| Starting place: | LC-19 , Cape Canaveral | ||
| Landing: | September 15, 1966, 13:59:35 UTC JD : 2439384.083044 |
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| Landing place: |
Atlantic 24 ° 15 ′ N , 70 ° 0 ′ W |
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| Flight duration: | 2d 23h 17min 08s | ||
| Earth orbits: | 44 | ||
| Recovery ship: | USS Guam | ||
| Orbit inclination : | 28.83 ° | ||
| Apogee : | 279.1 km - later 1374 km | ||
| Perigee : | 160.5 km | ||
| Team photo | |||
.jpg) from left Richard Gordon and Charles Conrad |
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| ◄ Before / After ► | |||
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Gemini 11 (GT-11) was a manned space flight under the US Gemini program .
crew
Two days after Gemini 8 landed on March 19, 1966, NASA announced that the replacement crew for that flight would take on the next available Gemini 11 mission.
Charles "Pete" Conrad , who was already in space with Gemini 5 , was available as commander . Richard Gordon became a pilot on his first mission in space. The replacement crew consisted of Neil Armstrong , the commander of Gemini 8 and William Anders , who had no space experience. Clifton Williams from Cape Kennedy and John Young and Alan Bean from Houston served as the liaison spokesman ( Capcom ) during the start-up phase . Young had already made two Gemini flights. Williams and Bean had no space experience themselves, but had been to Capcom several times before. Overall, the team was very experienced.
preparation
Like Gemini 10 , this spaceship was supposed to couple to an Agena target satellite and be able to be propelled into a higher orbit with its engine. Pete Conrad was a strong proponent of this plan, although there were also dissenting voices that feared the dangers of radiation from the Van Allen Belt . Likewise, value was again placed on an external mission (EVA). From Eugene Cernan's and Mike Collins' experiences with Gemini 9 and Gemini 10, improvements for Gemini 11 have been developed. On the one hand, the safety line was shortened from 15 meters to 9 meters, on the other hand, more handles and footrests were attached to the Gemini spaceship and the Agena so that Richard Gordon should have a better grip while working.
On July 7, 1966, the Gemini spacecraft was delivered to Cape Kennedy, on July 22nd, the Titan rocket was mounted on the launch pad, and on July 28th, the spacecraft was mounted. The launch was initially scheduled for September 9, but was postponed when a leak was discovered while refueling the rocket. The next day there was no start either. Conrad and Gordon were already on their way to the launch pad when they learned that the Agena could not start due to a problem with the autopilot and that the Gemini launch was delayed as a result.
Flight history
On September 12, 1966, an Atlas Agena rocket launched and placed the GATV-11 ( Gemini Agena Target Vehicle ) target satellite into orbit .
Gemini 11 should start exactly one orbit later. The start window was only two seconds. As planned, the Titan rocket took off at 9:42 a.m. local time. 85 minutes later, much earlier than on previous Gemini flights, Conrad docked with the Agena.
Because much less fuel was used than anticipated, valuable experience with couplings in orbit was gained. Each of the two astronauts decoupled and re-docked with the satellite twice. The next task was Gordon's spacecraft. As with previous flights, working in a space suit was very arduous and exhausting. He started to sweat, his helmet fogged up and so his trip into space had to be shortened.
The Agena's engines fired for 26 seconds, placing Gemini 11 in a higher orbit with an apogee of 1,374 km. This broke the Gemini 10 altitude record, which was just two months old. The new brand was to remain in place until the Apollo 8 moon flight .
Gordon undertook another outboard activity. This time, however, he did not leave the spaceship completely, but stayed in the open hatch ( stand-up EVA ) to photograph the earth and stars. While resting, both Gordon and Conrad nodded off, the astronaut's first sleep in a vacuum. This EVA lasted about two hours and, in terms of physical exertion, was much better than the first.
Conrad and Gordon undertook yet another flight maneuver that had never been carried out before. To do this, they decoupled from the Agena step, but remained connected to it by an approximately 30 meter long safety band. Using certain control maneuvers, the astronauts succeeded in rotating the team around the common center of gravity , which was the first time that artificial gravity was generated in space. The missiles needed about six minutes per revolution, the microgravity generated was too small to be felt by the astronauts, but was sufficient to move floating objects.
Gemini 11 later completely separated from GATV-11, moved about 30 kilometers away, and approached again the following day, but without re-pairing.
The ignition of the brake rockets and the re-entry into the earth's atmosphere took place fully automatically for the first time on this flight. Gemini 11 landed 4.6 kilometers from the calculated target point. Conrad and Gordon were a helicopter aboard the USS Guam brought.
Significance for the Gemini project
The mission was a complete success. The rendezvous and the pairing took place in record time. Valuable experience with rendezvous and coupling maneuvers could be gained. The orbit changes with the help of the Agena went without problems, and the higher orbit brought not only a new record, but also new scientific data. The biggest problem was still the activity outside the spaceship. Gordon's problems only confirmed the experiences that Cernan and Collins had already made: even simple movements can become a problem in weightlessness. The spacesuit and its life support system did not seem to be mature and suitable for the moon.
The Gemini program was nearing its end. A final flight two months later should bring this space project to a close.
See also
Web links
- Gemini 11 in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)
- NASA: Gemini 11 mission summary (English)
- Radio communication protocols (PDF; 649/345 pages; 43/7 MB)
