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Gemini
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Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
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Watch the launch and booster separation of Gemini spacecraft as it is lifted off the ground by a Titan II rocket
Astronauts John W. Young (left) and Virgil I. Grissom inside their Gemini 3 spacecraft awaiting blastoff from Cape Kennedy on March 23, 1965. They successfully orbited the Earth three times in the first U.S. two-man spaceflight. Ed White: space walk Buzz Aldrin performing an extravehicular activity Gemini 12 spacecraft lifting off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Nov. 11, 1966. Charles Conrad, Jr., 1969 Gemini 7, as seen from Gemini 6, 1965 Thomas Stafford Neil Armstrong, 1969 Cernan, Eugene Gemini 10 blastoff from Cape Kennedy, Florida, on July 18, 1966. The image is the result of the combination of 10 exposures. Richard F. Gordon, Jr. Agena Neil Armstrong Arabian Peninsula: satellite view
Witness the first extravehicular activity in space: a space walk performed by astronaut Edward White on the Gemini 4 mission
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Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
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Edwin E. Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin) stands on the moon, Apollo 11
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Gemini

spacecraft and space program
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Watch the launch and booster separation of Gemini spacecraft as it is lifted off the ground by a Titan II rocket
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Watch the launch and booster separation of Gemini spacecraft as it is lifted off the ground by a Titan II rocketThe Gemini program was conducted between 1964 and 1967 to give NASA engineers and astronauts information about spacecraft maneuvering, rendezvous, and ground control and about human performance in microgravity, in preparation for the Apollo voyages to the Moon. This video shows a Gemini spacecraft launch and booster separation. A Titan II rocket, a modified version of a rocket designed to carry nuclear warheads, lifts the spacecraft off the ground. Once the craft has cleared the Earth's atmosphere, the rocket is jettisoned, and it falls back to Earth. The Gemini craft was an enlarged version of the Mercury capsule and measured 5.8 metres (19 feet) long and 3 metres (10 feet) in diameter.
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Astronauts John W. Young (left) and Virgil I. Grissom inside their Gemini 3 spacecraft awaiting blastoff from Cape Kennedy on March 23, 1965. They successfully orbited the Earth three times in the first U.S. two-man spaceflight.
1 of 4
Astronauts John W. Young (left) and Virgil I. Grissom inside their Gemini 3 spacecraft awaiting blastoff from Cape Kennedy on March 23, 1965. They successfully orbited the Earth three times in the first U.S. two-man spaceflight.
Ed White: space walk
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Ed White: space walkGemini 4 astronaut Ed White during his historic 23-minute space walk on June 3, 1965. White was secured to the Gemini spacecraft by a 7.6-metre (25-foot) umbilical and tether line. He used a self-maneuvering unit to facilitate movement outside the craft.
Buzz Aldrin performing an extravehicular activity
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Buzz Aldrin performing an extravehicular activityAstronaut Buzz Aldrin, pilot of the Gemini 12 spacecraft, performing an extravehicular activity (EVA) on November 12, 1966, the second day of the four-day mission in space. Aldrin is positioned next to the Agena workstation.
Gemini 12 spacecraft lifting off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Nov. 11, 1966.
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Gemini 12 spacecraft lifting off from the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Nov. 11, 1966.

Gemini, any of a series of 12 two-man spacecraft launched into orbit around Earth by the United States between 1964 and 1966. The Gemini (Latin: “Twins”) program was preceded by the Mercury series of one-man spacecraft and was followed by the Apollo series of three-man spacecraft. The Gemini program was chiefly designed to test the ability of astronauts to maneuver their spacecraft by means of manual control. The Gemini series, directed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), helped to develop the techniques for orbital rendezvous and docking with a target vehicle, procedures that were vital to the subsequent Apollo Moon-landing program. It also provided NASA engineers with an opportunity to improve environmental control and electrical power systems of spacecraft. During the Gemini 4 mission (launched June 3, 1965), astronaut Edward H. White performed the first American spacewalk, maneuvering outside the spacecraft for 20 minutes and demonstrating man’s increasing ability to function in space. Gemini 5 (Aug. 21, 1965) completed an eight-day mission, the longest spaceflight undertaken up to that time. Gemini 7 and 6 (Dec. 4 and 15, 1965, respectively) performed the first orbital rendezvous of two manned spacecraft. Gemini 12 (Nov. 11, 1966), the last in the series, made the first automatically controlled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

A chronology of spaceflights in the Gemini program is shown in the table.

Chronology of crewed Gemini missions*
mission crew dates notes
*Gemini 1 and 2 were uncrewed test flights.
Astronauts John W. Young (left) and Virgil I. Grissom inside their Gemini 3 spacecraft awaiting blastoff from Cape Kennedy on March 23, 1965. They successfully orbited the Earth three times in the first U.S. two-man spaceflight.
Gemini 3 Virgil Grissom March 23, 1965 first spacecraft to maneuver in orbit
John Young
Ed White: space walk
Gemini 4 James McDivitt June 3–7, 1965 first American to walk in space (White)
Edward White
Charles Conrad, Jr., 1969
Gemini 5 L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. Aug. 21–29, 1965 new space endurance record (7 days 23 hours)
Charles Conrad
Gemini 7, as seen from Gemini 6, 1965
Gemini 7 Frank Borman Dec. 4–18, 1965 new space endurance record (13 days 19 hours)
James Lovell, Jr.
Thomas Stafford
Gemini 6 Walter Schirra, Jr. Dec. 15–16, 1965 first rendezvous of two crewed spacecraft (Gemini 6 and 7)
Thomas Stafford
Neil Armstrong, 1969
Gemini 8 Neil Armstrong March 16–17, 1966 first docking of two spacecraft
David Scott
Cernan, Eugene
Gemini 9 Thomas Stafford June 3–6, 1966 unable to dock with Agena rocket stage
Eugene Cernan
Gemini 10 blastoff from Cape Kennedy, Florida, on July 18, 1966. The image is the result of the combination of 10 exposures.
Gemini 10 John Young July 18–21, 1966 first space walk from one spacecraft to another
Michael Collins
Richard F. Gordon, Jr.
Gemini 11 Charles Conrad Sept. 12–15, 1966 first spacecraft docking on first orbit after launch
Richard Gordon
Agena
Gemini 12 James Lovell, Jr. Nov. 11–15, 1966 three space walks (Aldrin) that solved problems (exhaustion and suit overheating) from previous flights
Edwin (“Buzz”) Aldrin
This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.
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Mercury
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Friendship 7 Alan B. Shepard Virgil I. (“Gus”) Grissom John Glenn entering Friendship 7 Scott Carpenter, 1964 Wally Schirra launch of Faith 7 Friendship 7 (Top) U.S. astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., entering the Mercury spacecraft Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, in preparation for launch. Riding into space atop a modified Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (bottom), Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.
NASA's journey to landing a man on the Moon
Quizzes
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
Friendship 7
Friendship 7 Launch of the Friendship 7 at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, February 20, 1962.

Mercury

United States space program
Also known as: Project Mercury
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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crewed spacecraft
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Mercury, any of the first series of crewed spaceflights conducted by the United States (1961–63). The series began with a suborbital flight about three weeks after the Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin became the first human in space (see Vostok). Alan B. Shepard, Jr., rode a Mercury space capsule dubbed Freedom 7 on a 486-km (302-mile) flight of 15-minute duration, attaining a maximum altitude of 186 km (116 miles). The Freedom 7, like its successor on the second suborbital flight, was launched by a Redstone rocket. Subsequent crewed flights in the Mercury program were launched by more powerful Atlas rockets. Each capsule in the Mercury series weighed about 1,400 kg (3,000 pounds). The first U.S. crewed flight in orbit was that of the Friendship 7, commanded by John H. Glenn, Jr. Launched on February 20, 1962, it successfully completed three orbits and landed in the Atlantic Ocean near The Bahamas. The last Mercury flight, that of Faith 7, was also the longest. Launched on May 15, 1963, it carried L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., on 22 orbits before its landing and successful recovery 34 hours and 20 minutes later.

A chronology of spaceflights in the Mercury program is shown in the table.

Chronology of crewed Mercury missions
mission crew dates notes
Note: Mercury-Redstone 1 and 2 and Mercury-Atlas 1 through 5 were uncrewed test flights.
Alan B. Shepard
 Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7) Alan Shepard May 5, 1961 first American in space
Virgil I. (“Gus”) Grissom
Mercury-Redstone 4 (Liberty Bell 7) Virgil Grissom July 21, 1961 spacecraft sank during splashdown after Grissom's exit
John Glenn entering Friendship 7
Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7) John Glenn Feb. 20, 1962 first American in orbit
Scott Carpenter, 1964
Mercury-Atlas 7 (Aurora 7) Scott Carpenter May 24, 1962 part of flight directed by manual control
Wally Schirra
Mercury-Atlas 8 (Sigma 7) Walter Schirra, Jr. Oct. 3, 1962 first longer-duration U.S. flight (9 hours 13 minutes)
launch of Faith 7
Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. May 15–16, 1963 first U.S. flight longer than 1 day
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.
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