Gemini 11: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Gemini 11 (officially Gemini XI) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the 9th manned Gemini flight, the 17th manned American flight and the 25th spaceflight of all time (includes X-15 flights over 100 km).

Crew

• Charles Conrad (2), Command Pilot
• Richard Gordon (1), Pilot

The crew of Gemini 11 were Charles "Pete" Conrad and Richard Gordon. Conrad had flown once before, on the Gemini 5 flight; Gordon was on his first flight.

• Mass: 3,798.4 kg
• Perigee: 160.5 km
• Apogee: 279.1 km
• Inclination: 28.83°
• Period: 88.89 min

Docking

• Docked: September 12, 1966 - 16:16:00 UTC
• Undocked: September 14, 1966 - 16:55:00 UTC

Space walk

• Gordon - EVA 1
  • Start: September 13, 1966, 14:44:00 UTC
  • End: September 13, 1966, 15:17:00 UTC
  • Duration: 0 hours, 33 minutes
• Gordon - EVA 2 (stand up)
  • Start: September 14, 1966, 12:49:00 UTC
  • End: September 14, 1966, 14:57:00 UTC
  • Duration: 2 hours, 08 minutes

With Apollo looming on the horizon, Gemini project managers wanted to accomplish a rendezvous immediately after reaching orbit, just as it would have to be done around the Moon. Only 85 minutes after launch, Conrad and Gordon matched orbits with their Agena target stage and docked several times. Conrad had originally hoped for a Gemini flight around the Moon, but had to settle for the highest Earth orbit-1374.1 kilometers-ever reached by an American manned spacecraft. Gordon's first space-walk once again proved more difficult than ground simulations, and had to be cut short when he became overtired. A second, two-hour "stand-up" space walk went more smoothly: Gordon even fell asleep while floating halfway out the hatch. An experiment to link the Agena and Gemini vehicles with a 15.24 meter tether (which Gordon had attached during his space-walk) and rotate the joined pair was troublesome-Conrad had problems keeping the tether taut-but was able to generate a modicum of "artificial gravity." The mission ended with the first totally automatic, computer-controlled reentry, which brought Gemini XI down only 4.506 kilometers from its recovery ship.

Gemini 11 was designed to achieve a first orbit rendezvous and docking with the Agena target vehicle, to accomplish two extra-vehicular activity (EVA) tests, to perform docking practice, docked configuration maneuvers, tethered operations, parking of the Agena target vehicle and demonstrate an automatic reentry.

Experiments

The 12 scientific experiments were (1) synergistic effect of zero-g and radiation on white blood cells, (2) synoptic terrain photography, (3) synoptic weather photography, (4) nuclear emulsions, (5) airglow horizon photography, (6) UV astronomical photography, (7) Gemini ion wake measurement, and (8) dim sky photography.

Reentry

The reentry was the first computer-controlled reentry in the US space program. They landed only 4.9 km away from the intended landing site and were recovered by USS Guam.

The Gemini 11 mission was supported by the following U.S. Department of Defense resources; 9,054 personnel, 73 aircraft and 13 ships.

The capsule is on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California.