Gemini Project Essay, Research Paper

GEMINI PROJECT The Gemini Project was established as a way of advancing knowledge about ace and how to build space capsules better and safer. Thier were twelve Gemini missions with different goals and settings for the astronauts. Their were majors goals that went along with this project in which were needed to go to the next step with was the Apollo Program. The Gemini project was named after the heavenly twins because the capsule was the first one that could two people. There were four major goals in the Gemini Project. First to put two men and supporting equipment to long flights. For later trips to the moon and trips into deeper space. Second to effect rendezous and docking with other vehicles, and to effect rendezours and docking with other vehicles in space using the propoltion system of hte trage vehicle for such menouvers. THrid to perfect ways to reenter and land the spacecraft at a point where they had already choosen. Fourth tostrangthen the knowlege of how weighlessness of crew members physiologily during long space flights. The first two Gemini missions were unmanned, the main mission objectives for the first mission where to determin exit hearing of the GLV and spacecraft, Demonstrate structrual intergrity of the GLV and spacecraft, Demonstrate the ground guidance systems perfromance in achieving proper orbital insertion, and monitor and evaluste the GLV switchover circuits. The secondary objcetives where to evaluate operational procedures for the GLV trajectory and cutoff conditions, demonstrate perfromance of launch and tracking networks, and to provide training for flight controllers and perlauntch and launch crews and facilities. The launch for the first mission took place on April 8th 1964 at 11:00:01.69 am EST. The first Gemini shuttle assumed and altitude of 320km x 160.3km above the Earth. This shuttle orbited the earth 3 times before the mission was terminated. It completed 3.5 days before the shuttle disinagrated after lauch. The second of the Gemini missions was also unmanned, the main mission objectives where to demnostrate reentry heat pretection during aximum heating reentry, demnostrate satisfactory perfromance of major subsytems, demnostrate checkout and launch procedures, evlauate backup guideance steering signals through launch

The secondary objectives of Gemini mission two was to obtain test results on fuel cell and reatant supply, cryogenics, and communiations systems. The second Gemini Mission’s launch took place on January 19, 1965 at 9:03:59.861 am EST. The original launch time was December 9th, 1964 but the shuttle was not launched due to the loss of hydraulic pressure and so they where forced to shut down the engines about one second after ignition. All mission objectives where achived and all secondary objectives were also achived except for the fuel cell test, which deactivated before liftoff. The rest of the Gemini flights three threw twelve were all 2-manned flights and contained a Gemini capsule as the payload. The main objective of Gemini three shutel was to demnostrate a manned orbital flight, evlaute the two-manned design of the shuttel, evaluate tracking network, and to evaluate the perlauch, and launch procedures. The spacecraft weighed 3225kg. The secondary objectives were to evaluated the flight crew equiptement, biomedical instrumentation, and personal hygiene system. The launch of Gemini III took palce on March 23, 1965 at 9:24:00.064 am EST. There was one brief hold on the lauch day while a sensor on an oxidizer line was adjusted. Gemini VIII which Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott flew together was the first ever flight into space for Neil A. Armstrong. Their mission objectives were to rendezvous and dock with Gemini Agena target vehicle that was launched on 3/16/66 from Complex 14 and conduct EVA operations On March 16, 1966 at 11:41:02.389 Gemini VIII was lauched, there was one delay in launcheing the speacraft due to minor problems with the spacecraft and launch vechile hardware. six hours and thirty four minutes after liftoff the crew successfully docked with Gemini Agena target Vehicle but where frocced to undock thrity minutes later due to problems with the spacecraft control systems. In all the Gemini Program was a big success all goals were completed thoughout the twelve missions. They gained enough knowledge for the upcomming Apollo project that would put a man on the moon. The Gemini project also gained a lot of experience for the asternauts.