Gemini 5

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = Gemini 5
spacecraft_name = Gemini 5
booster = Titan II #62-12560
insignia = Gemini5insignia.png insignia_size = 162px
sign = Gemini 5
crew_members = 2
launch_pad = LC-19 (CCAF)
launch = August 21, 1965, 13:59:59 UTC
landing = August 29, 1965, 12:55:13 UTC coord|29|47|N|69|45.4|W
duration = 7d/22:55:14
orbits = 120
apogee = convert|350.1|km|nmi|lk=on
perigee = convert|162|km|nmi
period = 89.59 min.
inclination = 32.61°
distance = convert|5242682|km|mi|lk=on
mass = convert|3605|kg|lb|lk=on
crew_photo = S65-46990.jpg
crew_caption = (L-R) Conrad, Cooper
previous =
next =

Gemini 5 (officially Gemini V) was a 1965 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 3rd manned Gemini flight, the 11th manned American flight and the 19th spaceflight of all time (includes X-15 flights over 100 km).

Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.
* L. Gordon Cooper (2) - Command Pilot
* Charles Conrad (1) - Pilot

Backup crew

* Neil A. Armstrong - Command Pilot
* Elliott M. See, Jr. - Pilot

Mission parameters

* Mass: 3,605 kg
* Perigee: 162 km
* Apogee: 350.1 km
* Inclination: 32.61°
* Period: 89.59 min

* REP (Radar Evaluation Pod) sub-satellite:On August 21, 1965 at 16:07:15 UTC, the REP was released into orbit from the Gemini 5 spacecraft.

ee also

* Splashdown

Objectives

Gemini 5 doubled the space-flight record of the Gemini 4 mission to eight days, the length of time that it would take to fly a mission to the moon. This was possible due to new fuel cells that generated enough electricity to power longer missions, a pivotal innovation for future Apollo flights. Cooper and Conrad were to have made a practice space rendezvous with a "pod" deployed from the spacecraft, but problems with the electrical supply forced a switch to a simpler "phantom rendezvous," whereby the Gemini craft maneuvered to a predetermined position in space. Mercury veteran Gordon Cooper was the first person to travel on orbital missions twice. He and Conrad took high-resolution photographs for the Defense Department, but problems with the fuel cells and maneuvering system forced the cancellation of several other experiments. The astronauts found themselves marking time in orbit, and Conrad later lamented that he had not brought along a book. On-board medical tests, however, continued to show the feasibility of longer flights.

Conrad, who had a reputation for frequently having a punchline on hand, called the mission "Eight days in a garbage can." (the garbage can referring to the small size of the Gemini capsule, which was the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.)
As with Gemini 4, the crew had trouble sleeping in alternate sleep periods. They still had little rest when they decided to take their sleep periods together.

The phantom rendezvous came on the third day. It went perfectly, even though it was the first precision maneuver on a spaceflight. They tried four maneuvers—apogee adjust, phase adjust, plane change, and coelliptical maneuver—using the orbit attitude and maneuvering system (OAMS).

The ground crew discovered a small problem the next day. The fuel cell produced wastewater (not suitable for drinking, as it was too acidic) that was stored in a tank on board. This was the same tank used for drinking water, with the potable and non-potable water separated by a bladder wall. The problem was that the fuel cell was producing 20% more discharge than expected. However, it was soon determined that there would still be room left over at the end of the mission.

On the fifth day, a relatively major problem occurred when one of thrusters in the OAMS stopped working. This meant the cancellation of all the experiments requiring fuel. None of the attempts to resolve the thruster problem was successful.

Seventeen experiments were planned, with one cancelled, as it involved photography of the pod. Experiment D-1 involved the crew photographing celestial objects, and D-6 was a ground photography experiment. Experiments D-4/D-7 involved making brightness measurements of celestial and terrestrial backgrounds and of rocket plumes. Experiments S-8/D-13 investigated whether the crew's eyesight changed during the mission.

All the medical experiments from Gemini 4 were performed, as well as experiment M-1 into the performance of the heart. This involved Conrad wearing inflatable leg cuffs. Experiment M-9 also investigated whether the astronauts' ability to measure horizontally changed.

S-1 involved Cooper taking the first photographs of the zodiacal light and the gegenschein from orbit. There was also syntopic photography of Earth. One photograph of the Zagros Mountains revealed greater detail than the official geologic map of Iran. Experiment S-7, the Cloud-Top Spectrometer revealed that the height of clouds could be determined from orbit.

Retrofire came 190 hours 27 minutes 43 seconds into the mission over Hawaii. They controlled the reentry, creating drag and lift by rotating the capsule. Due to a computing error, the crew landed 130 kilometers short of the planned landing point. Though the computer had worked perfectly, a programmer had entered the rate of the Earth's rotation as 360° per 24 hours instead of 360.98° "See" Sidereal day.

The Gemini 5 mission was supported by the following U.S. Department of Defense resources; 10,265 personnel, 114 aircraft and 19 ships.

Insignia

This was the first mission to have an insignia patch, Cooper having realized he had never been in a military organization without one. NASA choose the image a covered wagon due to the pioneering nature of the flight. The slogan "8 Days or Bust" was emblazoned across the wagon, but NASA managers objected to this, feeling it placed too much emphasis on the mission length and not the experiments, and fearing the public might see the mission as a failure if it did not last the full duration. A removable ribbon was placed over the slogan. [cite book | last = French | first = Francis | authorlink = Francis French | coauthors = Colin Burgess | title = In the Shadow of the Moon | publisher = University of Nebraska Press | year = 2007 | pages =44 | isbn = 978-0-8032-1128-5]

Capsule location

As of 2006, the capsule is on display at Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas.

References

External links

* [http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19750067642_1975067642.pdf Gemini 5 Mission Report (PDF) October 1965]
* On The Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/cover.htm
* Spaceflight Mission Patches: http://www.genedorr.com/patches/Intro.html
* NASA data sheet: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1965-068A
* U.S. Space Objects Registry http://usspaceobjectsregistry.state.gov/search/index.cfm