fisher@scotty.DEC (Burns Fisher, MRO3-1/E13, DTN 231-4108.) (08/06/85)
<>
re Gemini 6 and Gemini 7:
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Gemini 6 was originally planned to do the first (I think) rendezvous and
docking in the US space program. The target was to be an Agena vehicle which
was to be launched atop an Atlas before Gemini was launched. Gemini 7 was
planned to be a long duration flight (medical experiments?). The Atlas/Agena
never made orbit (don't remember the details of why). In any case, what they
did was to launch Gemini 7 first. Then they scurried around like hell to get
the pad cleaned up and G6 re-erected. The countdown reached 0 (or wherever the
engines fire on a Titan), the engines burped, and then shutdown (deja vu?).
Turns out someone had forgotten to remove some of those red plastic caps that
say "Not flight hardware--Remove before flight" from someplace on the engines.
In addition, the vibration caused one of the ground connectors to pull out of
the base of the Titan. Thus the crew got the signal that they had lifted off,
as well as that the engines had shut down. They came very close to ejecting,
but the commander said later that he did not feel acceleration, and therefore
they could not have lifted off. Because of that excellent perception, they were
able to lift off and successfully rendezvous with Gemini 7 a few days later.
The dual flight was called "The Spirit of 76".
<End of memory dump>
Burns
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