Space Rocket History Logo
Space Rocket History Podcast Welcome to the Space Rocket History podcast

Episodes Tagged with "Mission Control Center"

Posted on July 27, 2016

Even a perfect reentry would subject the Apollo 8 command module to extreme stress.  With Gemini, the capsule re-entered from Earth orbit, but Apollo 8 would re-enter at approximated 25,000 miles per hour.  The forces of heat and deceleration would b...

3

2

c282a

Posted on July 13, 2016

As Apollo 8 drifted above the far side of the moon Borman, Lovell, and Anders observed a scene of total desolation.  It appeared absent of color, except for various shades of gray.  There was no atmosphere to soften the view, it was a scene of extrem...

3-Earthrise

Far Side Of The Moon

1-The_Lunar_Farside_-_GPN-2000-001127

Posted on July 20, 2016

Bill Anders: “We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.” “‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ‘And the earth was without fo...

1o

3-A8

2-A8ChristmasEve

Posted on August 3, 2016

New York City welcomed the Apollo 8 crew with a ticker-tape parade on the 10th of January, Newark hailed them on the 11th, and Miami greeted them on the 12th during the Super Bowl game. The Astronauts returned to Houston on the 13th for a hometown pa...

TIME COVERS – THE 60S

3a

2

1

Posted on September 14, 2016

The biggest concern before Apollo 9 was the docking maneuver.  In early 1969, at NASA there was little confidence in the docking system. At a January program review, Phillips said that problems encountered during probe and drogue testing worried him…

lm3-sigs

3

2-mcdivitt-and-schweickart-left-to-right-practice-in-the-lunar-module-simulator-for-the-apollo-9-mission-to-evaluate-the-lm-in-earth-orbit-operations-and-the-apollo-suit-in-the-space-environment

1-spacecraft-docking-devices-the-command-module-probe-and-docking-ring-at-right-the-lunar-module-drogue-at-left

Posted on May 22, 2014

Posted on May 29, 2014

Posted on June 5, 2014

From the previous episode, it was decided that the name of Gemini VI would be changed to Gemini VI-a to distinguish it from the originally planned mission whose objective was to rendezvous with the Agena target vehicle. Gemini VII would be launched f...

GT7 Launch

gemini7patch

Lovell before the launch, in the special G5C space suit, which had a zippered hood with a visor instead of a solid helmet

Gemini_7_Crew_(Lovell_und_Borman)

Moon and clouds over the Western Pacific as seen from Gemini 7

Borman and lovell boarding

Posted on June 12, 2014

From the previous episode, we have Gemini VII waiting in orbit for Gemini VI-A to launch and rendezvous.  Remember, Gemini VII could only remain in orbit for 14 days, the maximum duration of its flight.  The goal was to launch Gemini VI-A on or befor...

Gemini_VI_Launch_-_GPN-2000-000612

Gemini_7_in_orbit_-_GPN-2006-000035

Gemini_6_Views_Gemini_7

Gemini 6 harmonica

1200px-Gemini_6_launch_abort

Hint for G6

Gemini_VI_Stafford_capsule

Gemini 7 as seen by Gemini 6

Posted on June 18, 2014

The Gemini Program was conceived after it became evident to NASA officials that an intermediate step was required between Project Mercury and the Apollo Program. The major objectives assigned to Gemini were: 1-To subject two men and supporting equip...

G7 crew

GT on Wasp

Gemini 7 spacecraft on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Recovery of G7

Hellicopter over G6

GT7 on Wasp

G6&7 on Wasp

G7 Before Splashdown

G7 Arrive on Wasp

Posted on July 17, 2014

Many doubted that Agena could be ready in time to meet Gemini’s tight launch schedules. The end of 1965 saw Agena’s usefulness in manned space flight once again called into question, but this time time a substitute target had already been approved fo...

gemini_atv_8

Gemini Augmented Target Docking Adapter during pre-flight checkout

gemagena

agenhgre

800px-S66-25781_PR

facebook hint

Posted on July 24, 2014

On September 20th 1965, NASA named the crew for Gemini VIII. The command pilot selected was Neil Armstrong, a civilian test pilot with much experience in the X-15 rocket research aircraft program. David Scott was selected as pilot.  Scott was the fir...

Niel and David

Neil_Armstrong_in_Gemini_G-2C_training_suit

neil_armstrong_david_scott

Neil_Armstrong_1956_portrait

gemini8 at air and space museum Wapkoneta ohio

Gemini-VIII-flight-crew-SCOTT-David-R.-and-ARMSTRONG-Neil-A.

GEMINI-TITAN-8_-_PRELAUNCH_ACTIVITY

gemini_atv_8

gemini_8

Gemini 8 water egress test

F9F-2_Panthers_VF-51_over_Korea_1951 with Armstrong piloting

David Scott

Gemini-VIII-flight-crew-SCOTT-David-R.-and-ARMSTRONG-Neil-A.

Posted on July 30, 2014

This was the most complex mission attempted to date. The primary mission objectives were to perform rendezvous and four docking tests with the Gemini Agena Target Vehicle (GATV) and to execute an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA)…

gatv_diagram_labelled

Agena view from G8

640px-Gemini_8_during_rescue

Gemini_8_launch

Gemini_8_docking with agena

Gemini_8_Atlas-Agena_launch

Posted on August 7, 2014

Armstrong eased Gemini VIII toward the target at a barely perceptible speed of 8 centimeters per second. Then Armstrong gleefully reported, “Flight, we are docked!” For a brief moment, the flight controllers in Houston did not realize they had really...

G8 Ohio A&

gemini8 at air and space museum Wapkoneta ohio

G8

Posted on August 28, 2014

After the untimely deaths of Elliot See and Charles Basset, NASA assigned the Gemini IX prime crew positions to Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan.  This was the first time in NASA’s manned space flight history that a backup crew had taken over a mission. ...

Gemini_9Acrew

g9patch

AtlasAgenaG9a

Posted on August 21, 2014

In October 1965, Elliot M. See and Charles A. Bassett II were selected to fly Gemini IX. Chief Astronaut Deke Slayton also told them that their backups would be Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan.  At that time Stafford was copilot for Gemini VI…

Elliot_See

gemini9

Charles_Bassett

Elliot_McKay_See

Posted on September 4, 2014

As contractors worried about technical problems with the Atlas, Once again NASA, faced the necessity for a quick recovery plan when a target vehicle failed to reach orbit. You may recall the first time was with Gemini 6.  But this time Nasa had somet...

AugmentTargetDockingAdapter

tom Stafford in orbit

hint for facebook

Posted on September 11, 2014

We left off last week with Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan completing three rendezvous with the ATDA but, no docking because the shroud was still in place on the Docking Adapter. On June 5, 1966 at 5:30 a.m., nearly 45 hours and 30 minutes into the miss...

Gemini 9 splashes down at 9-00 A.M., June 6, 1966. The day of the EVA was also their last in space

gemini9_crew_a

Gem9down-S66-34118

eugene_cernan

cernan_gt9_eva

Posted on September 18, 2014

Deputy Administrator Seamans wanted a mission review board created to study: (1) Corrective measures for the Atlas-Agena failure (2) The guidance update problem that delayed the launch two days (3) The shroud incident (4) The suit environmental c...

KSC-66P-0323

KSC-66P-0317

gemini-10-astronaunt-michael-collins-pilot-for-nasa

Gemini 9 astronauts Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford brief Gemini 10 astronauts John Young and Mike Collins. And….how about that nice ATDA model in full gator

640px-Gemini10crew

Posted on September 25, 2014

“At first, the sensation I got was that there was a pop, then there was a big explosion and a clang. We were thrown forward in the seats. We had our shoulder harnesses fastened. Fire and sparks started coming out of the back end of that rascal. The l...

John Young in Gemini 10

Gemini_10_launch_time_exposure_-_GPN-2006-000036

Gemini 10 Agena

Ge10Patch_orig

Collins shortly after launch

Agena_Firing_-_GPN-2000-001355

Posted on October 2, 2014

Collins emerged from the spacecraft at dawn. Like Gene Cernan on Gemini IX-A, he found that all tasks took longer than he expected. But he was able to retrieve the package from the exterior of his spacecraft…

gemini-10_recovery

gemini_11_splashdown_recovery_print-r5a59c8d7c6244f54af0dc3eba26b9a72_wa3_8byvr_512

G10RecoveryCertificate

DaveG10

Posted on October 9, 2014

Some significant goals had been set for the last two Gemini flights. For example, the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office wanted a rendezvous in the first spacecraft orbit, which would simulate lunar orbit rendezvous. There was also interest in linking ...

scan0704

RichardFGordon

320px-Gemini_11_patch

agena 11

Gemini_11_prime_crew_(Gordon_and_Conrad)

Gemini_11_Gordon_suits_up for G11

Posted on October 16, 2014

Conrad shouted to Gordon “Ride ’em, cowboy!”  Gordon was Riding bareback, with his feet and legs wedged between the docked vehicles. In practice sessions in zero-g aircraft flights, Gordon had been able to push himself forward, straddle the reentry a...

Gordon Astride Agena

agena 11

1024px-Gemini_Profiles

Posted on October 23, 2014

The rotation rate checked out at 55 degrees per minute, and the crew could now test for a minute amount of artificial gravity. When they put a camera against the instrument panel and then let it go, it moved in a straight line to the rear of the cock...

Recovery of G11

mySuperLamePic_4b6522ec730b0c0a85b7ed20f7c4f00f

G11 parachute

Agena Tether Experiment

Posted on October 30, 2014

When the  Gemini IX-A Agena fell into the Atlantic Ocean, Gemini XII was threatened with a major hardware shortage of an Agena and an Atlas to launch it. Replacing the Agena was no real problem. Lockheed’s first production model, 5001, used for devel...

p3-AldrinLovell

p2-Aldrin Lovell Cernan Cooper

p-1G12Patch

gemini-12_2

Agena12

Posted on November 6, 2014

In space, Jim and Buzz began to wonder if everything had been shut down too soon. For 25 minutes, with one brief exception, they heard nothing from the ground. The Ascension Island tracking station had the wrong acquisition time, so its communicators...

Agena12tether

buzzViewHatchOpen

Gemini_XII_Mission_Image_-_Solar_Eclipse

G12 tether

buzzadrinview

Posted on November 13, 2014