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Episodes Tagged with "Tom Stafford"

Posted on July 30, 2015

Selection of Group Two virtually depleted the pool of qualified candidates from the small corps of test pilots in the country, and it was the last group for which test-pilot certification would be a requirement. The new trainees reported to Houston i...

2-NASA_Group_1_and_2_Astronauts_Photo_With_Autopens

2-Back row- See, McDivitt, Lovell, White, & Stafford. Front row- Conrad, Borman, Armstrong, & Young

1- Project_Mercury_AstronautsBack row- Shepard, Grissom, Cooper; front row- Schirra, Slayton, Glenn, Carpenter.

Posted on August 5, 2015

With Group 4, for the first time, the selection criteria did not include a requirement for test pilot proficiency. Selectees who were not qualified pilots would be assigned to the Air Force for a year of flight training. The primary scientific requir...

Group4Astronaut

4-Group 4 L-R- Garriott, Gibson. Front row, L-R- Michel, Schmitt, Kerwin.

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Posted on August 13, 2015

“Some of those guys came in figuring, “I’ll write my textbooks and my thesis and teach [university courses] and I’ll come by twice a week and be an astronaut.” Well, that didn’t work …. We were devoting our lives to this whole thing, and you couldn’t...

5-Back row, from L-R- Swigert, Pogue, Evans, Weitz, Irwin, Carr, Roosa, Worden, Mattingly, Lousma. Front row, from L-R- Givens, Mitchell, Duke, Lind, Haise, Engle, Brand, Bull, McCandless

Posted on April 6, 2016

SCHIRRA: You’ve added two burns to this flight schedule, and you’ve added a urine water dump; and we have a new vehicle up here, and I can tell you at this point TV will be delayed without any further discussion until after the rendezvous. CAPCOM (J...

Untitled

2u-Distant view of the S-IVB stage

1u-Apollo 7 S-IVB rocket stage in orbit

Posted on April 13, 2016

CAPCOM Number 1 (Deke Slayton): Okay. I think you ought to clearly understand there is absolutely no experience at all with landing without the helmet on. SCHIRRA: And there no experience with the helmet either on that one. CAPCOM: That one we’ve g...

10-The Apollo 7 Command Module as exhibited at The Frontiers of Flight Museum

9-Barbara Eden, Bob Hope, the Apollo 7 astronauts, and Paul Haney (voice of Mission Control) on The Bob Hope Show (November 6, 1968)

8-Crew after recovery aboard USS Essex

6-The crew is welcomed aboard the USS Essex

5-A crewmember being hoisted into the recovery helicopter

3U-At the end of the nearly 11-day mission, flight controllers Gene Kranz, Glynn Lunney, and Gerald Griffin left to right with cigars celebrate splashdown

2U-View of Florida from Apollo 7

1u-Mission Control watches the first live television beamed by an American spacecraft, as Eisele and Schirra signal, %22Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming in, Folks

Posted on June 2, 2016

The successful Apollo 7 flight cleared the way for a US moon landing in 1969.  Still a lot of flight and ground testing remained and there would probably be surprises.  The greatest concern was Nasa had to complete three virtually flawless missions a...

3-Lovell family watch launch of A8

2-Jim Lovell

1-Apollo 8 Crew

Posted on June 5, 2019

After the Mercury-Atlas 10 mission was canceled, Shepard was designated as the Commander of the first crewed Gemini mission, with Thomas P. Stafford chosen as his pilot. Shepard at his Mission Control ConsoleShepard & GrissomShepard as Chief of the ...

P3-Alan-shepard chief astronaut office

P2-Alan Shepard Gus Grissom

P1-Shepard during Gemini 6A mission at his consoles in the Mission Control Center

Posted on June 1, 2023

“Near the end of our preparation period, management said; Well, we believe, we can do this, now let’s set about to see how we can get them down without expending the resources for a rescue mission.  So just overnight we changed goals.” Vance Brand

P1-Patch

P3-Garriott

P2-CripCSM

Posted on December 6, 2024

According to George Low, the Soviet mission operations control room was quite large – it contained 16 two-man consoles, thus allowing them 32 flight controllers. In addition, there was a back row of consoles which were used for personnel such as the ...

P1-star-city-russia

P2-Cosmonaut-Training-Center-Star-City-Aerial-View

P3-MCC-Kaliningrad

Posted on December 20, 2024

For the first time, the Soviet Union publicly announced the crew assignments for a Soyuz mission before the flight. Previously, cosmonaut identities were kept secret until after their flights.

P1-ac

P3-Rest stop during trip from Star City to Moscow provides crewmen with a chance for a snowball fight November 1973

P2- ASTPmockat 73Paris

Posted on January 10, 2025

The American astronauts acknowledged the necessity of enhancing their Russian language proficiency. They observed that their Russian counterparts, had demonstrated a remarkable commitment to learning English, dedicating 6 to 8 hours each day to indiv...

P2-Spacecraft Simulators at Star City

P1-Interior view of environmental control system

P3-Docking systems installed on a simulator

Posted on January 24, 2025

Soyuz 16 served as a comprehensive rehearsal for the Soviet contribution to Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).

P1-soyuz16Crew

 ÓÒÏÓ̇‚Ú ÕËÍÓÎ‡È –Û͇‚˯ÌËÍÓ‚

P2-Anatoli Filipchenko

Posted on February 7, 2025

The origin of the Soviet’s concern, regarding the potential impact of the Apollo Command Module’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters on the Soyuz spacecraft during docking maneuvers, can be traced back to a Skylab film.

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P2-Apollo Mission Sim

P3-ASTP transfer graphic Encylopedia Astronica

Posted on February 21, 2025

Eight cosmonauts arrived in Washington, D.C. on February 7th, 1975 to start their final training session in the U.S. as the technical specialists argued whether the spacecraft was ready or not.

P1-Disney World

P3-ASTP Soyuz spacecraft are being readied for the joint mission

P2-Alexei Leonov enters the Apollo command module being readied for ASTP

Posted on March 7, 2025

Television coverage involved meticulous planning of specific television transmissions, detailed preparation for an onboard press conference, and careful scheduling of symbolic activities designed to engage and inform the public.

2-Rollout

3-Rollout

1-Inside the high bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, work progresses on the replacement of the first-stage fins of ASTP’s Saturn IB launch vehicle, March 1975

Posted on March 28, 2025

Reports from Baykonur indicated that the weather was perfect for the launch: clear skies, light winds, and hot July sunshine.

P3-ASTP

p1-LeonovKubasov

P2-Soyuz launch

Posted on April 11, 2025

CapCom Truly radioed at 10:46 with the go-ahead: “I’ve got two messages for you: Moscow is go for docking; Houston is go for docking. It’s up to you guys. Have fun.”

P3-AI Generated Image of Apollo Soyuz docke

P2-Improperly installed connector on the docking latch

P1-separated from the s-ivb

Posted on April 25, 2025

On July 17, 1975, orbiting in space high above the French city of Metz, the American and Russian commanders shook hands. Their conversation, a mix of personal and technical remarks, reflected a casual familiarity, reminiscent of their simulator train...

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P3-handshake

P1-Apollo-Soyuz-handshake

Posted on May 9, 2025

“I had thoughts I couldn’t express at the time. It felt like we weren’t just opening a hatch in space, but opening the door to a new era on Earth.”  Tom Stafford.

P2-A-S-Eclipse

P3-AS second docking

P1-Eclipse

Posted on May 23, 2025

Celebrations erupted in Mission Control, with broad smiles and cigar smoke marking the successful conclusion. But, while Mission control was celebrating, it was not yet known that the crew had been exposed to toxic fumes during descent. The crew was ...

P2-Cosmonauts Leonov and Kubasov (speaking) are interviewed by Soviet newsmen shortly after their safe landing in Kazakhstan.

P1-Kubasov autographs the side of the Soyuz descent vehicle

Posted on June 6, 2025

Due to the deterioration of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union in the late 1970s, no follow-on missions to ASTP took place. A backup Apollo spacecraft and Saturn IB rocket were available and there were some discussions of possib...

P3-crewmembers pose with the Apollo Command Module from their mission

P2-President Ford at the White House during the tour of the United States

P1-Stafford, Leonov, Brand, Kubasov, and Slayton in Moscow during the tour of the Soviet Union

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 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)…

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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...

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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