posted 04-30-2005 12:35 AM               

Last fall, GRB Entertainment visited Johnson Space Center to film recreated scenes from the Gemini 8 mission for National Geographic's "Expeditions to the Edge" documentary series. Several JSC employees portrayed 1966 Mission Control flight controllers for the episode, which is set to air on the National Geographic Channel this Saturday, April 30, at 9 p.m. CDT and midnight. "Expeditions to the Edge" follows 13 stories of adventure and survival as scientists, explorers and adventurers are pushed to the edge of human endurance.

Episode synopsis: Gemini VIII launches on March 16, 1966 and six hours after liftoff, they successfully rendezvous and dock with the Agena space module. Suddenly, 27 minutes after docking, the vehicle begins a violent tumble, as the astronauts fight to stay conscious and stop the roll. Experience how their desperate measures kept them alive to return to Earth.

posted 04-30-2005 10:27 PM               

With a combination of NASA films, computer animation, interviews with astronauts and NASA personnel, and dramitazation, NGC succeeded in making the viewer relive the mission of 16 March 1966.

As you know, Armstrong & Scott accomplished the first rendezvous and docking in space, but soon after that both craft began to spin wildly. Both Armstrong and Scott attempted to correct the spin, which reached one revolution per second.

Although I knew that they survived and would later go on to land on the moon on Apollo 11 & Apollo 15, I took advantage of a commercial break to consult The Complete Book of Spaceflight for the conclusion of the story.

Nearly blacking out, Armstrong finally determined that it was the OMS thrusters what were malfunctioning. He turned off the system and used the reentry thrusters manually to stop the spin. This used up nearly 70% of their reentry fuel. To the joy of NASA controllers, the Gemini splashed down on target in an alternate landing spot in the Pacific near the recovery ship USS Leonard F. Mason.

This was a great dramitazation of the events of Gemini 8. It was interesting to see the astronauts involved. I only wish that I had thought to turn on my VCR. This NGC episode will be repeated. []

posted 05-03-2005 10:15 AM               

Wonder if Neil was offer for an interview with David. would like to here his thoughts.

the one thing I dislike was the narrator revealing what was causing the tumble before the astronauts found it after separation from the Agena.

posted 05-07-2005 04:38 PM            

Overall, I was distracted by the excessively dramatic tone the show took. I would have appreciated a simple retelling of the honest-to-goodness life-and-death drama with computer animation and 39 years of hindisght to give it perspective. Instead, they made sure to jiggle the camera on every in-cabin and outside spacecraft view.

They even made it look like the spacecraft was wobbling its way into the successful docking, although we heard Armstrong's air-to-ground transmission describing the docking as "a real smoothie!"

They had a little trouble deciding which way the thrusters fired, and which thrusters were firing, and where those thrusters were physically located on the spacecraft. For example, sometimes the big thrusters shown firing on the white adapter module were actually correct, sometimes they were not, and at least once they even showed the thruster seeming to fire in reverse, sucking in its exhaust gas. Then, when they discussed the reentry control system thrusters, they first showed them firing from somewhere near the forward crew compartment bulkhead, only later localizing them to the RCS ring where they belonged.

The docking was dramatized as bringing two vehicles together at 18,000 miles per hour--they even included video footage of astronaut Mike Massamino describing it as such--but in the absence of air resistance, it was the relative velocity of the two co-orbiting vehicles that was important. The docking itself took place at a closing speed of less than 1 foot per second, or about 1/2 mile per hour.

Finally, in my (former) area of professional specialization, I learned that the 5-g physiological limit that the documentary discussed as leading to "black-out" is in the head-to-foot direction, with blood pooling in the legs, as if a fighter pilot were pulling up into a loop. The Gemini-8 crewmembers were experiencing the opposite sensation, with blood being forced into their heads. I don't think that the g-force being generated by their spin were anywhere close to 5 g. Of course, such a spin is disconcerting and dangerous, and if left uncorrected, this rotation can also lead to unconsciousness by "red-out" but it is a different thing. (There is a scientific analysis that was published a decade or so ago, that I always wish I had handy when this topic comes up--I will locate it and post the reference if anyone is interested.) Again, they included video of Dr. Jeff Jones, NASA flight surgeon, discussing the impending blackout.

I assume that they interviewed Massamino and Jones at length, then just included their most dramatic comments even if they were out of context, because I am certain that both gentlemen know the difference.

Overall, I guess the documentary was a net positive, but I for one was distracted and even discouraged by the penchant for over-dramatization that producers and directors seem to require. This was also true for the Gemini-8 segment on "From the Earth to the Moon" which actually did a better job of telling the Gemini-8 story, and (gasp) even "Apollo 13" which insisted on showing the stricken spacecraft wobbling all over the sky and rockets firing in random directions.

I hope I live long enough to see some actual space-flight life-and-death drama, in whcih people could have actually died, presented without breing enhanced for dramatic effect.

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John Charles
Houston, Texas

posted 05-07-2005 05:15 PM            

But it got me to thinking: did Armstrong and Scott get a lift by helicopter or otherwise to the deck of the recovery ship, or did they ride up in the capsule? Only two crews rode the capsule, as far as I know: Gemini-6, Schirra and Stafford, and Gemini-9, Stafford and Cernan. All the others (except possibly Gemini-8) were hoisted by helicopter.

I checked David Baker's authoritative "History of Manned Spaceflight"--it skipped right over the lift. Also, the Gemini series by Spacecraft Films cut the Gemini-8 footage short, before the hoisting. Not even the view of a disappointed Armstrong and Scott from overhead, afloat in their capsule, one of the iconic images of the Gemini program, made it onto the CD.

posted 05-09-2005 09:23 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Tom:
John:
For recovery operations on Gemini 8, the crew remained in their spacecraft until the USS Mason "pulled alongside them". They then "scrambled up a rope ladder onto the deck". Their craft was hoisted aboard shortly afterwards.

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